Violet
by VioletIvoire
Summary: Amidst all the chaos she gave, continued to give him what he dearly wanted, but he had to fight to keep her treasured gifts
1. Chapter 1

Violet

* * *

_I want to say that I completed this story before posting the chapters, like I always do with my stories, but a friend challenged me to write a chapter, edit, and post because I constantly change the storyline. She became curious with what I would come up with if I had not changed the storyline so many times and now, under her ever watchful eye :p I'm writing and posting as I spin this tale…I just ask that you all please forgive me if I take forever to post a new chapter…blame my friend Nerissa lol…_

* * *

_Disclaimer:_

_I can only wish I owned our dear Goblin King, but I don't (T_T) I don't even own the characters from Harry Potter or their world..._

* * *

_**Please pardon any cursing written into this chapter**_

* * *

Three eighteen pm. That time would stay stuck in her head forever.

Three fourteen pm: She piled her papers together according to priority. "...needs polishing off to be turned in next week, need to include the Freu decree as an example and turn in two weeks..." she said aloud while organising the parchments and files.

Three fifteen pm: she carefully tucked said parchments into her carry case, locked and warded her office, and at three sixteen pm she exited the lift and a minute later made it to the nearest apparition point in the Ministry Atrium.

Then there was that horrible time again. Three eighteen pm. At three eighteen pm, she walked into the sitting room to find her fiancé with his wand in another woman's cauldron. Or in muggle terms:

Her fiancé, Ronald Bilius Weasley, was fucking his ex-girlfriend from Hogwarts, Lavender Brown, on her settee.

Her settee! A piece of furniture she adored because it had belonged to her Grandmother, her father's mother. It was a timeless piece, in her opinion, and those two bastards were defiling it!

"What the hell do you think you are doing!" She yelled, standing in the open entryway with her flat keys dangling from one hand and her other gripping her carry case with white knuckles.

"Hermione!" The cheating bastard leapt off the bitch with a face as red as his hair. "What are you doing home early?" He asked. Hermione glared.

"I catch you cheating on me, screwing the brains out of your ex-girlfriend, and all you say is, 'What are you doing home early?'!" Hermione yelled.

"Actually I'm his fiancée," Lavender smirked, holding out her left hand to show off her extremely large diamond engagement ring, which made Hermione's diamond look like a grain of sand next to it.

"WHAT?!" Hermione shouted. Lavender flinched and rubbed her ears.

"Really Won Won, all this stress isn't good for the baby," she pouted. Hermione's face turned redder than the trademark Weasley hair colour. "You should stop taking your time and slip it to her in her morning pumpkin juice already," she whispered. Ron sucked in a breath. Hermione paled, then turned even more angry.

"Slip what into my morning pumpkin juice Ronald Weasley?" She asked quietly, dangerously. He recognised the tone she used and shook his head furiously refusing to answer.

"Honestly," Lavender muttered under her breath. "Well if you can't even slip her a poison she'll have to be a guest at our wedding. Wear something blue so you can match the other guests," she ordered Hermione.

"What is going on here?" Hermione turned at the sound of her best friend's voice with a red face and furious waves of magic rolling off her. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley looked at her worriedly before taking in the details they missed upon first entering the scene.

"Ronald Weasley!" Ginny hissed at her bare-skinned brother, ignoring his lack of clothes, and strode over to the settee to grab the throw and threw it at him to cover his immodesty.

"What's going on here?" Harry turned red from embarrassment in catching two people in their birthday suits and from anger at the two people, one being his best friend and his best friend's fiancé and the other the fiancé's ex.

"They're pregnant," Hermione answered flatly. "And they've even invited me to their wedding! Lavender wants me to match the other guests so I have to wear blue!" She yelled, her voice rising with each spoken. Ginny sucked in a breath and Harry growled.

"WHAT?!" Harry and Ginny shouted simultaneously. Ginny threw herself at Lavender, punching every part of her face and shoulders she could reach or scratch and Harry launched himself at Ron, fists at the ready and already making contact with any part of his now former best friend he could reach.

"What is going on here?" Molly Weasley asked, carrying a pot of soup into the open doorway of the flat. "Oh," she said. "So you've finally told her."

"WHAT?!" Three voices hissed or shouted.

"Well honestly," Molly murmured. "If the prude wouldn't give my Ronnekins what he needed he was going to get it somewhere else!" Two gasps filled in the ensuing silence.

"I have never been more ashamed than I am right now to call you my mother," Ginny breathed, not even meeting Molly's eyes.

"Why you insolen-"

"Prude?" Hermione interrupted. "Did it ever occur to you, in that small excuse for your brain," she bit out, "that perhaps I was not ready to give myself up yet?" She screamed at the older witch.

"You're just a silly prude!" Molly scoffed.

"I promise you Molly Weasley," Hermione hissed. "Any other man, besides that poor excuse of a son you raised, who asks me out...I will have sex with him just to spite you!" With that she apparated.

O.o

He watched as the curly-haired woman at the bar downed her fifth drink as she muttered obscenities to no one in particular. She had come into his establishment in a furious mood earlier and he wanted to give her time to cool off before approaching her. Customers partaking in the pub's services avoided this particular patron as she steadily became more pissed with each shot she threw back. The pub owner sighed at his former classmate.

"Don't you think you've had enough 'Mione?" Colin Creevy asked. After Hogwarts he decided he wanted to open a pub with his younger brother, in a small muggle town, that served both muggles and wizards.

"No Col," Hermione Granger answered. "I won't have enough until I forget." Colin took in a deep breath to calm his already fraying nerves.

"What has he done this time?" He asked as Hermione downed yet another shot of firewhiskey. Hermione laughed out loud at the question.

"What has he not done?" She retorted. Colin gave her an inquiring look. Hermione sighed, "I got home early from work today. Can you guess the rest?" Her eyebrow rose in challenge. The hurricane glass Colin was cleaning broke in his hand.

"He didn't!" He hissed, turning red in anger.

"Oh it gets better," Hermione laughed. Colin did not notice his hand bleeding while he waited for Hermione to continue. "The bastard impregnated the bitch, all while we were together." Colin slammed his bleeding fist into the wood of his bar.

"That bastard!" He shouted collecting the attention of all the muggles in his pub.

"Oh it gets better," Hermione slightly slurred. "They even planned their wedding while he's been engaged to me!" She clapped sarcastically. "And I'm invited!"

"I'll kill 'em!" Colin shouted. Hermione grabbed his hand and healed him with wandless magic.

"You'll have to get behind Ginny," she muttered. "She beat up Lavvy the muggle way," Hermione laughed. "It was amazing! You should have seen Harry knock Ron out!"

"Why are you not with them Mione?" Colin asked carefully.

"Didn't want to hear Molly telling me what a failure I am," Hermione downed her eighth shot. "Just because I didn't want to give it up to her precious _Ronnie_," she spat. "I wasn't ready!" She yelled. Colin blushed. Hermione gave him a big smile. "I promised Molly I'd give it up to the first person who asked me out...and here I am," she whispered dramatically.

Colin blushed harder, "I think you've definitely had enough Mione. I'm cutting you off." Hermione pouted. "I'll escort you home," Colin grabbed Hermione's coat and helped her into it.

"You need your coat too Col," Hermione admonished him. "I don't want you getting sick, you have a business to run." Colin sighed in frustration.

"_Wait_ here and _do not talk to anyone_," he ordered as he ran to grab his coat from his office. Hermione smiled and shook her head as she watched him disappear through the door that was invisible to the muggle customers that led to the other side of the pub where wizards were served. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder and skull as she realised she either stumbled into the doorframe or that stranger pushed her.

"Pardon me," the blond stranger said as he helped her straighten herself up. "I'm sorry, are you hurt? I didn't think anyone would be standing in the entryway," he explained as he kept a hold of her arms, helping her keep her balance.

"Colin," Hermione managed to whisper as her world spun and she became dizzier with the pain in her skull and shoulder.

"No," the man gave her a smile. "I am Jarred."

"C-Colin," Hermione whispered again as she tried hard not to vomit her firewhiskey all over Jarred.

"Again," Jarred frowned, "I am not Colin. Are you fine?" He asked again. Hermione shook her head slowly so as not to loose her precious balance.

"C-call Colin," she breathed out before her world turned black. Jarred caught her before she hit the floor and carried her out of the pub. Their surroundings swirled away as they walked down the deserted street and they disappeared altogether.

O.o.O.o

He dreamed of those green eyes again. The ones that belonged to her. "Sarah," he could say her name out loud now without his chest becoming heavier or his heart trying to make its way up his throat. Sarah Williams. Toby.

He laughed. 'Give the girl what she wants, be who she wants, and you still don't get the girl.' He thought satirically. He stared into his crystal, watching the woman brushing her hair in a mirror. She would run the brush one hundred and fifty times through her black mane, thus making her hair look extra soft, silky. He was sure if he ran his bare fingers through it would be just as soft and silky as it looked.

She suddenly stopped on the sixty-eighth stroke of the brush, looking straight into the mirror...almost as if she knew he was looking straight at her. A smile grew on her face, one unconsciously grew on his as he watched. Another face appeared...her son's small four year old face appeared next to hers. His smiled faltered.

"Can I brush?" He asked in his small childish voice.

"You can brush mommy's hair later," Sarah answered with a smile for her son. "We have to go meet daddy at the restaurant in a few minutes." She picked him up and he noticed her small stomach that was beginning to grow.

The crystal ball shattered against the stone walls of his throne room.

"Grumbly!" He shouted. A goblin came scurrying up to him. "I am going to the aboveground for a little while. Make sure the other goblins do not make a mess of the castle. It was just cleaned." He faded before the goblin could answer, his surroundings swirling away, and he appeared on a street.

He grumbled at the cold weather and tossed a crystal on the ground, producing more appropriate clothes for venturing out into this realm. He strode down the abandoned street, not paying attention to his surroundings or where he was walking. 'Ah, a pub. Just what I need,' he thought, striding toward the establishment.

The unexpected happened. His foot slipped on a patch of ice as he opened the door. 'So ungraceful!' He hissed at himself as he straightened himself and noticed he had slid into a woman.

"Pardon me," he helped the young woman off the floor. He discreetly produced a crystal to clean her clothes of the germs and other gross unmentionables that ended up on a pub floor during the day. "I'm sorry, are you hurt? I didn't think anyone would be standing in the entryway," he said after a small moan escaped her lips. He frowned, already knowing she was hurt and it was his fault.

He was not the monster Sarah wanted him to be when she asked him to take her brother away. He was only being the person she wanted him to be...what she expected of him. He was a gentleman, raised to be one from birth. He looked down at the small woman, her head barely reached his shoulders, and internally sighed. She was hurt and, being the gentleman he was, he picked her up and decided to take her home, to the underground. He could erase her memories after she healed, with his help of course.

He was back in his throne room when he noticed she passed out. 'She's a lovely creature,' he thought while examining her features while she slept away on his bed. He sat in his favourite lounge chair, watching her while waiting for her to awaken.

* * *

_Please forgive me when updates on this story take forever...I promise not to abandon it...there is nothing I dislike more than an unfinished story...and I already have seven chapters of this story written out..._

_Again, feel free to blame my friend Nerissa for challenging me to write and post before actually finishing the story and then posting the chapters...as I usually do with my stories..._


	2. Chapter 2

Violet

* * *

_It would be so cool if I actually did own Jareth the Goblin King and Harry Potter & Co.…but I don't…. :p They are just being used to spin this tale…_

* * *

"Creevy." Colin suppressed a shiver at the sound of the voice. It reminded him of his Hogwarts years that were spent avoiding the owner of that arrogant drawl. He learned in recent years that though the owner's voice still held its learned arrogance it was, in fact, a friendly greeting. Considering the current issue of Hermione's inebriated state, he sighed in relief at the sound.

"Malfoy," Colin smiled, half in relief the other half tense, as he turned to face the owner of the voice. "Thank goodness you're in here today." Draco Malfoy lifted a perfectly groomed eyebrow at the young wizard. "Hermione's here. She has had too many shots and needs an escort home. I was just about to-"

"No problem," Draco interrupted. "My parents would have my head if I didn't look out for their 'precious daughter'," he sneered impishly, but was inwardly worried at the reason Hermione would decide to get pissed. Colin nodded and led him to the front of the bar. "Where is she?" Draco asked.

"I told her to wait here," Colin said worriedly. "Maybe she's waiting outside," he sounded hopeful as he left through the pub's public door followed by a worried Draco. Draco sighed.

"Hopefully she got home okay," Draco said as he opened the door for a frantic Colin.

"We need to find her," he said urgently. Draco furrowed his brows at the distraught wizard. Even in her state she could manage to make it home okay.

"I'm sure she's fine," he drawled. "She's a big witch, not a little witch who needs her hand held as she crosses Diagon Alley." Colin shook his head.

"You don't understand!" His voice rose. "She was here because of Ron Weasley!" Draco's face darkened considerably as he rounded on the pub's owner.

"What did he do?!" He demanded, a sinking feeling growing in his now knotted stomach.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Colin yelled. "She might have gone home with someone!"

"So?" Draco's voice rose. That was her business if she went home with another man. He was more concerned about what happened with the weasel. "What did the weasel do?!" He demanded again.

"We have to find her!" Colin yelled as his face turned red from embarrassment. "She promised Molly Weasley she would 'give it up' to the first person who asked her out," he squeaked.

"WHAT?!" Draco yelled, his face reddening in fury. 'Who would have thought,' he thought, but was furious now with that little piece of information offered to him. "AND YOU LEFT HER ALONE?!" He quickly sent off a patronus. "Tell me what happened now!" He yelled as he dragged Colin down the pavement towards the nearest apparition point.

"Weasley cheated on her with Lavender Brown," Colin breathed out as Draco half dragged him down the empty street. Draco's fist tightened on Colin's collar. "They're pregnant and have been planning their wedding this whole time. Mrs. Weasley blamed Mione for the whole thing."

"WHAT?!" Another voice yelled. Colin shivered at the sound waves reverberating around the empty street. He would have done anything to avoid giving the owner of that voice this news.

"Father," Draco said with a polite tilt of his head as he continued dragging Colin along behind him. Poor Colin was wrenched from Draco's grip by his lapels and lifted off his feet as Lucius Malfoy shook him.

"Where did you hear this?!" The elder Malfoy demanded. "You will speak of this to no one until I clear everything up! I will not have my Mi's name dragged along behind that weasel!"

"Father," Draco pulled Colin away, to the young man's relief. "We have a bigger cauldron to deal with at the moment. Mi is missing," Draco glared half-heartedly at Colin.

"WHAT?!" Lucius Malfoy roared even louder than the first time. A few pigeons flew off the tops of roofs in fright. Draco shifted uncomfortably as he eyed his father.

"What do you mean missing?" Narcissa asked as she stepped out from behind her husband.

"I told you I would take care of this," Lucius hissed at his wife. Narcissa glared at her husband who flinched away in return, mumbling an apology.

"Well you see," Colin began hesitantly. "It all started out with Ron Weasley-" Narcissa barely contained herself from yelling at hearing that name.

"To make a long story short," Draco interrupted. "The weasel cheated with Lavender Brown, the mother Weasel blamed her, and Mi promised to 'lose it' to the first person who asked her out-"

"WHAT?!" Lucius roared yet again and Narcissa yelled along with her husband, scaring off the rest of the pigeons, both of them turning red from anger. Colin shivered, suddenly considering apparating away from the trio of blonds.

"Colin was about to escort her home when she went missing from his pub," Draco finished as he rubbed his abused ears. Lucius swiftly grabbed Colin's lapels again and shook him as he spoke.

"How did our Mi end up missing from _your_ establishment?!" Lucius yelled at the poor wizard. Narcissa and Draco pulled a frightened Colin away from their enraged family patriarch.

"Contain yourself," Narcissa hissed at her husband. "Why do you say she's missing?" She asked the two young wizards.

"I was about to escort her home when she made me go and grab my coat," Colin explained. "Draco found me on the way to my office and offered to escort her home for me. When we went back for her she was gone." Narcissa closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Draco go to Harry's home and find out if she's there," Narcissa ordered. "Lucius, check the nearest hotels, muggle and wizard. I will go to her home and her flat, and then wait at the Manor if she happens to pop in today. Thank you Mister Creevy, for bringing this to our attention," she said as the Malfoy men and herself apparated away to their designated locations.

O.o.O.o

Draco muttered to himself as he walked up the pavement to 12 Grimmauld Place. If there was one thing he dreaded doing this was it. He gathered his scattered thoughts as he mentally prepared his speech to the Boy Wonder. He would rather not think about his 'sister' loosing it to a stranger and was sure Harry Potter would soon be sharing the same thoughts as he lifted his hand to lift the knocker.

"Malfoy," George Weasley drawled. "If you're here to comfort our dear Mione she's not here. If you are here looking to pound away on my dear baby brother you have the wrong home. He's still taking a beating from my dear baby sister at Hermione's flat." Draco smirked at the thought of taking a chance to pummel the weasel but they all had a bigger cauldron brewing at the moment.

"As much as I would like to take that offer," Draco drawled, "there is a bigger problem to deal with at the moment." George crossed his arms as he waited for the blond to elaborate. "Hermione is missing," Draco stated baldly. George stiffened. "She was at Colin's pub earlier and had too much to drink. According to Creevy she promised your mother she would 'lose it' to the first person who asked her home-"

"What!" George yelled as his face suddenly clashing fiercely with his hair. "Go to Hermione's flat," George ordered. "Harry and Ginny are still there. I'll contact Bill and Charlie so we can start searching."

"My mother is already searching her home, flat, and the Manor," Draco said. "My father has already started searching wizard and muggle hotels."

"Then we'll help him," George said determinedly. "I already know she won't go to the Burrow."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the help," Draco tilted his head politely and made his way to the apparition point to inform Harry of their 'sister's' disappearance. George sighed and made his own way to the floo to contact his own family to alert them of their missing member.

O.o

"Tom," Lucius Malfoy greeted the owner of the Leaky Cauldron politely. The old wizard glared at the former Death Eater. Lucius fought the urge to roll his eyes and placed three galleons on the counter top. Tom greedily reached for them but Lucius covered the coins before the wizard could snatch them away.

"Has Hermione Granger, or anyone she may have come in with, requested a room?" Lucius hissed quietly, keeping his cool mask in place and trying not to glare back at the old man.

"Not recently," Tom answered in his raspy voice.

Lucius gave the man a nod after a few seconds and left the galleons behind. 'Money always made people so much more amenable,' he sighed as he exited the Leaky. He looked disdainfully at the muggle contraptions rolling down the streets. If there was one thing he did not like about them is the machinery they made that polluted the air. Other than that he could now tolerate them, they were not as barbaric as he had once thought them to be. He had Hermione to thank for his change in opinion and learned ways.

O.o

Narcissa apparated into the backyard of the home that Hermione inherited from her parents. She gave the building a sad glance before striding to the back door and letting herself in, only to hear nothing but silence and see nothing but furniture and no body standing, sitting, or lying about the house. She sighed and set up a few wards to alert her if someone entered the home before disapparating.

She apparated to the front doorstep of Hermione's flat. 'The little leech,' she sneered, letting herself into the apartment, not caring if the weasel was still inside. She was itching to hex some of his important bits.

"Mrs. Malfoy." Narcissa's wand was instantly in her hand, a hex on the tip of her tongue when she realised the owner of the voice had raven hair instead of ginger. Harry gave her a small smile. "Please Harry, call me Cissa. Mrs. Malfoy is Lucius's mother," the woman smiled at the young man.

"Are you looking to hex him?" Harry motioned to her wand. Narcissa laughed.

"I was looking for Hermione, but I figured the trip would have been more than satisfying if I got to hit him with a hex or two," she answered with a gleeful smile that made Harry sure that he would never want to be at the receiving end of Narcissa Malfoy's wand.

"Hermione left a few hours ago," Ginny answered, coming out of the bedroom with a pile of clothes and going into the bathroom.

"Are you all right?" Narcissa asked the young woman. Ginny nodded, but wiped away at the tears still falling from her eyes. Narcissa embraced the distraught girl.

"In all my life the thought of wishing for a better mother never occurred to me," Ginny said quietly into Narcissa's shoulder. "I don't know who that woman was today." She turned and set the contents inside the tub afire, burning the clothing to dust with a flick of her wand, and then rinsing the dust down the drain.

"I take it that was your brother's clothing," Narcissa laughed.

"Of course," Ginny smirked. "And the hilarious thing is he can't blame Mione for it!" The two women laughed.

O.o.O

Arthur Weasley was highly disappointed in his wife and son. Two of his family members openly disparaged another member of their own family, his family, and to say he was livid was an understatement. Hermione was like a daughter to him and he, Arthur Weasley, would do anything for her as he would for his own daughter Ginerva. The Weasley patriarch saw no difference between the two girls. Sure one of his girls did not have the notable ginger hair but his heart saw no differently than his eyes.

Molly P. Weasley would apologise to his daughter, he would see to it personally that his wife's apology was contrite. As for his son...Arthur was ashamed of his own child's actions. He definitely raised his children better than this, his older children were a testament to that fact. It was Molly who spoilt their youngest son. Arthur sighed as he hastily made his way to the apparition point at the Burrow to help with the search of one of his children and, hopefully, put a stop to her from keeping a foolish promise.

O.o.O.o

The drawing room at 12 Grimmauld Place was packed with family and friends. All were worried about one Hermione Jean Granger who had been missing for two days now. Lucius Malfoy had his arms wrapped around his silently weeping wife as his worried son held her hand to offer her his comfort. Harry Potter paced the length of the room and constantly ran his fingers through his already messy raven hair.

"Sit!" Severus Snape hissed at the pacing wizard. Harry threw a half-hearted glare at his former potions professor before taking a seat in an armchair near the fireplace.

"Has everyone given up?!" Harry suddenly yelled at the occupants of the room and ignored the infamous glares of Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, which was a feat in its own.

"You know as well as the next person that everyone is doing everything their best to bring Hermione home!" Severus hissed.

"Even I have called in my last favour to bring our Mi home safely," Lucius Malfoy's tone was harsh. Narcissa buried her face further into his shoulder to muffle a sob. Harry flinched at his words and mumbled an apology to everyone in the room. Kingsley sighed and rubbed his face before rising from his seat.

"As much as I would like to stay here until we hear from Hermione," his deep voice cut through the tense silence. "I have to return to my office before, Merlin forbid, Miss Edgecombe leaks more false information to the Daily Prophet. I'm afraid she has already compromised her position," he sighed yet again. Harry and Neville glared at the name of the former, temporary, D.A. Member.

"There will be a sizeable donation to a department or charity of your choice if that bi-" Lucius sucked in a breath from his wife's painful pinch. "Witch," he quickly corrected himself, "was to not receive a recommendation for another job." Kingsley nodded in understanding before taking his leave.

* * *

_I originally did not want to include Lucius and Narcissa, but someone wanted me to and this is a small part of the result…it is awkward for me using them this way….I hope the results are not too shaky..._


	3. Chapter 3

_Violet_

* * *

_The Goblin King refused to hand me my dreams!_

_I wished my baby sister away (not so babyish sister lol...she's like sixteen yrs) and instead of giving me my dreams of owning Harry Potter and Labyrinth characters he made me run the Labyrinth. He. Made. Me. Run! Lol jk...I own nothing :p_

* * *

Hermione awoke with a soft moan and a pounding headache. She buried her face into her overly soft pillow to block the dying rays of the setting sun and cursed the light that offended her sensitive eyes. She reached out to her bedside table for a phial of hangover potion and cursed when she felt nothing but air.

"Now that is unbecoming of a lady." Hermione bit back a gasp of surprise and was up in an instant with her wand pointed in a handsome stranger's face.

"How did you get into my flat?" She hissed. "Give me a reason not to hex you into next year!" The stranger lifted a neatly groomed blond eyebrow at her threat and smirked as he began circling her slowly.

"So you are a witch," he stated, giving her wand a pointed look. "That saves me from altering your memories. I would take a look around if I were you," the stranger drawled. "You seem to be mistaken in this bedchamber being your flat." Hermione hesitated to take her eyes off the stranger but finally chanced a glance to the left of him and saw a balcony overlooking the most beautiful sunset.

"I'm sorry," Hermione blushed as she lowered her wand and held her aching head. "I obviously had five shots too many of firewhiskey. How did I end up here?" She asked. "I have never had a headache this bad after drinking so much," she mumbled.

"That headache would be from you hitting your head," the stranger answered. "I brought you to my home because I do not know where you live or who this Colin was that you were asking for." Hermione frowned at the lush ivory carpet, trying to remember why she would be asking for Colin in the first place.

"I don't remember," she admitted in a very soft voice with a light blush staining her cheeks. "I don't even remember how much I drank."

"What is the last thing you do remember?" The stranger helpfully asked. Hermione's brows furrowed as she sifted through her most recent memories.

"I remember walking into Colin's pub and my fifth shot of firewhiskey, but not my sixth," she blushed. "I can't believe I drank that much," she mumbled to herself. The stranger smirked.

"Lightweight?" He chuckled. Hermione turned more red.

"There is nothing wrong with that," she snapped, then took a deep breath. "Sorry," Hermione breathed out. "And thank you for, um, bringing me to your home?" He lifted an eyebrow but smiled. "It is lovely by the way," she said as she gathered her shoes and searched for her clothes when she finally noted that she was wearing a silky peach coloured robe.

"What are you doing?" The stranger asked as he watched the witch search for something around his bedchamber.

"I am looking for my clothes," Hermione answered. The stranger's laughed echoed out into the wide corridors.

"You are wearing them," he said between laughs. She held back a blush when she noticed she was still wearing her work robes under the peach robe.

"Was that really necessary?" Hermione hissed as she rubbed her throbbing head. "I need a hangover potion," she muttered to herself and glared at the, still laughing, stranger. She decided he was very handsome, even if his attire was a little out of date. Men stopped wearing poet shirts and tight pants a long time ago, his hairstyle did not even match his attire. "Pardon me for being rude," Hermione spoke after his laughs turned to chuckles. "I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand for him to shake. He smiled down at her.

"Yes. Now I know," he smirked. "Jareth," he said, taking her hand and laying a soft kiss on her fingertips. Hermione withheld her gasp at the intimate contact.

"I really should be going home now," she breathed. "My friends are most likely worried." Jareth lifted an eyebrow.

"Stay and have some dinner and wine," he offered. "I hardly get out these days and your company at my dinner table would be most welcome." Hermione bit her lip as she thought about his offer.

"Just dinner," she answered, allowing Jareth to lead her out of the bedroom...or chamber, she noted. "Your home somewhat reminds me of Hogwarts," she noted aloud.

"Salazar and Godric did envy the interior a bit," he said dismissively. "Especially the Escher Room. They got the ideas for moving staircases at Hogwarts from my room. Though the exterior of my home is nothing like Hogwarts." Hermione missed the smirk that was planted on his face when he held out her chair for her.

"That sounds interesting," she commented. "Is that written in one of your ancestor's journals?" She asked, her eyes begging for more knowledge on a subject that was not spoken of in her favourite book, _Hogwarts: __a__ History_.

"It is written in a journal somewhere," he answered evasively with a wave of his hand, dinner appeared on the table not a second after. Jareth gave her an expectant look as he cut the main dish into smaller pieces. "Are you not hungry?" He asked, frowning. Hermione held back a blush.

"My parents taught me that it is proper to wait until the person sitting at the head of the table or the host takes their first bite to begin my meal," she answered. Jareth smirked and ate his first bite of food.

"And here I was thinking that you were afraid I would poison your food." Hermione stiffened, her fork stopping just before her mouth. He laughed. "Your food is not poisoned," he smiled. "I would not want the wizarding world out for my head."

"It is not that I do not trust you," Hermione began. "It is just that..." she drifted off, withholding the tears that threatened to spill over. "Someone very close to me was planning my death," she whispered and choked on the last word. "You are actually the first person I have admitted this to." She downed a glass of red wine after that admission while her host sat quietly in the tense silence and began sipping on his wine after their glasses refilled themselves.

"Who was this person?" He asked after a few minutes when he was sure the wine would help relax his guest. "If I may ask," he added. "Please have some more wine," he gently pushed her wine glass to her lips and watched as she sipped.

"My fiancé," she whispered, he almost missed her words. "Ex-fiancé," she corrected herself and downed her second glass of wine and half of a third. "As of this afternoon," she added, already more than tipsy from the alcohol she consumed, and her still empty stomach did not help. "Do you have anyone special?" Hermione asked, slurring her words a little. Jareth threw back his own wine.

"She is happily married," he admitted. Hermione reached out and patted his hand. "I don't understand," he continued. "I did what she asked, I became what she wanted me to be," he said in frustration. "Yet she still left." Hermione shook her head.

"You would not have been happy if she chose to stay with you," she answered what seemed to be an internal query that constantly ran through his head. "You cannot be someone you are not just to get someone to stay with you...I realise that now," Hermione said softly.

"Ron was trying to be more academic to have proper conversations with me, and I tried to be interested in Quidditch for him, I really tried. It just didn't work out...we were not being ourselves and we were growing apart," she said quietly, and then looked up at her host. "You would have been happy for a little while but in time you would have realised that it was a mistake to not be you from the beginning and may have come to regret that choice and maybe start to dislike or even hate her."

"You are very wise for your years," Jareth observed. Hermione gave him a wry smile.

"I learned from experience," she said dryly. He lifted his glass to her in a silent toast and downed the contents, followed by Hermione.

"What was that for?" She slurred. Jareth chuckled at the drunk witch.

"To experience," he toasted again and gently pulled Hermione's glass away from her lips to stop her from consuming yet another full glass of wine.

"You are the perfect gentleman," she commented with a smile.

"Sarah never thought so," he murmured. "I was the perfect villain for her," he sighed.

"Are you really a villain?" Hermione asked.

"You could say that I am a little bit of everything," he smirked to himself.

"Are we not all a little bit of everything?" Hermione asked rhetorically to which he silently agreed. "I once tried to use the Cruciatus curse," she confessed. He chuckled.

"You are too pure," he observed. "The most that curse would affect your target would be a small zap." Hermione laughed.

"You, my dear sir, are entirely correct," she chuckled. *¹"Dear crazy Bella only suffered a small zap," she sighed and thought about the same happening to her best friend Harry in their fifth year when he tried to curse the very same person.

"If you do not mind me asking," Jareth began and waited for Hermione's silent signal for him to continue. "How did you find out your ex-fiancé was planning your demise?" Hermione gave him a wry laugh.

"I caught him in bed with his other pregnant fiancée. She had the nerve to ask him in front of me why he was taking his time in poisoning my pumpkin juice in the mornings," she rolled her eyes.

"His other fiancée?" Jareth's eyebrows rose in surprise and a little amusement.

"Oh yes," Hermione continued. "Of course I did not find all this out till I left work early this afternoon. They were even planning their wedding," she said conversationally and downed another full glass of wine along with her host. "You are very handsome," the inebriated witch slurred. Jareth smirked. "I wonder if you kiss as good as Ron." Hermione turned bright red after she realised she said that aloud.

"You meant to say that in your head?" Jareth laughed at the embarrassed witch who gave him a nod. He leaned over and looked directly into her honey brown eyes. "I can promise you I kiss better than some cheating fiancé with no morals," he whispered as his lips hovered over and brushed hers. Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

"You have beautiful eyes," she whispered, feeling him smile against her own lips. He kissed her chastely.

"I would say your eyes are beautiful," he said softly, "but your hair takes that title, and your lips are very comely indeed." He gently pressed his own lips to hers again, and then added more pressure, massaging her lips with his own. Hermione gasped at the intimacy with which he was kissing her and felt his tongue slide past her teeth and mingle with her own. "I wonder if the rest of you is as tasty as your lips," he whispered. Hermione blushed.

"I wouldn't know," she said softly. "I would offer you but you never asked me out on a date." He smirked.

"What would happen if I asked you on a date?" He asked.

"I made a foolish promise with my ex-mother-in-law to-be that I would sleep with the first person to ask me out," Hermione blushed again.

"Well I did ask you to dinner," Jareth smirked. 'I may be a gentleman but I am a man first,' he thought. Hermione missed the gleam in his eyes in her inebriated state.

"Lead the way," Hermione rose from her seat and stumbled. Jareth's strong arms found their way around her waist, helping her to balance herself.

"Gladly," he whispered in her ear, laying a soft kiss on her neck, right behind her ear. Hermione shivered.

O.o.O.o

A woman with long blonde hair smiled at the couple sleeping away in bed as the sun's light touched the tops of the castle and lit up in sky in blues and oranges as the sun began it ascent into the sky, its rays chasing away the darkness of the night sky. She tossed a crystal next to the bed and sat in the chair she conjured as the bed's occupants continued to dally in Morpheus's world.

"Good morning Ambry," Jareth yawned, and then glared at the woman as he suddenly scrambled to pull the blankets and sheets over himself and his bedmate.

"Good afternoon dear brother," the woman smiled. "I daresay you had an excellent evening," she chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Jareth continued glaring at his sister. She laughed, causing him to become suspicious. "What have you Seen?" He asked, meaning to sneer but it came out as curiosity.

"I am here to escort Miss Granger home," she continued smiling. "You have a wished away," her smile faltered.

"I have not received a-" he froze at the sound of tinkling fairy bells and rolled his eyes, grumbling.

"Write her a note," Ambry ordered. "I will leave it with her before leaving." Jareth nodded and twirled his finger for his sister to turn. She rolled her eyes and closed them so he could hop out of bed and get dressed.

"Here," he flicked the top of her head with a sealed envelope. She smiled as he faded away to collect the wished away child.

Ambry moved next to the last occupant of the bed, standing over her. She conjured a crystal, cracked it over the young woman, and smiled. "Now you won't wake up with a nasty hangover or soreness," she whispered. "I will be seeing you soon Hermione," she wiped a happy tear away as she too faded to the aboveground, deliberately setting off a ward to alert Hermione's adopted family members and friends, and then placed Jareth's letter on her bedside table with a violet sitting atop the envelope.

O.o.O.o

"Where has she been?!" Someone demanded.

"As if anyone of us know! Ask her when she wakes!" Someone else answered.

"Should we call a healer?" A concerned voice asked.

"Quiet!" Another voice hissed. "She is resting! If she were injured Draco would have already healed her, as he is a healer." Hermione could practically see the glare from the owner of that voice as she left the comforts of sleep.

"Hello," Hermione finally spoke up. "Might I ask what you all are doing in my bedroom? I know you all love me, I love you all too, but isn't this a bit too much?" She chuckled, and then yawned.

"Where were you Hermione?" Harry finally asked. Hermione frowned.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"He means where have you been?!" Ginny demanded.

"I was at Colin's pub," Hermione frowned, and then remembered waking up in another bedroom other then her own. "Then someone helped me to their home because I hit my head," she added.

"Check her head," Lucius pushed Draco towards Hermione. He rolled his eyes but complied with his father's demand and frowned at the results of his diagnostic spell.

"You had a slight concussion," he said. "It's healed now and there is no lasting damage," he smirked. "Too bad you didn't loose some of those brain cells." Hermione and Narcissa pinched him.

"Enough Draco," Lucius pulled him away from Hermione's bedside. "Do you feel any pain? Are you sore anywhere? Do you feel alright?" He asked checking her forehead with the back of his hand.

"And I am supposed to be the mother," Narcissa murmured. Everyone snickered at the glaring Malfoy patriarch.

"I feel just fine," Hermione answered Lucius with a slight squeeze to his hand to reassure him and smiled for Narcissa. "But really...why are you all here in my bedroom? It is not like I have been sick and missed work for a few days," she lightly joked, then faltered when everyone shifted uncomfortably.

"Well you might not have been sick but you have missed work," Narcissa finally answered. Hermione frowned.

"It's Saturday," she said. "I am not scheduled to go in till Tuesday." Narcissa and Ginny paled and sucked in small breaths and the men could not decide whether to look angry or worried. "Sit," Hermione gently pulled Narcissa onto her bed and motioned for Harry to sit Ginny down. "What is going on with everyone?" She asked.

"Mi," Lucius spoke gently. "You have been missing for four days." Hermione frowned.

"I was only gone overnight," she insisted. "I woke up and had dinner with Jareth and woke up here."

"Jareth?!" Everyone spoke up simultaneously, except Lucius. Hermione nodded.

"He took me to his home after I hit my head," she said again. "I woke up and he invited me to have dinner with him..." she drifted off and her brows furrowed as she tried to remember the rest of the evening at his dinner table.

"What else?" Lucius asked. Hermione blushed.

"I had too much wine," she admitted.

"How much did you have?" Harry asked. He usually would have laughed at Hermione choosing to lose her head in some alcohol, but this was not a time to laugh or tease her.

"More than three glasses," she quietly answered. Draco, Harry, and Lucius grumbled.

"You know you're not to have more than two of wine," Draco frowned. Hermione glared at him.

"Well excuse me for being upset!" She snapped. "I had caught my fiancé in bed with another woman just three hours earlier! Now if you all would excuse me I would like to shower and change."

"Just one more thing," Harry spoke up and shrunk back at her glare.

"Well?!" She demanded after he hesitated.

"How did you get home?" He asked. "We apparated here straight away when the wards alerted us that you were home but you were already sleeping. You could not have gone to sleep that fast, it's impossible," he spoke quickly. Hermione frowned yet again.

"I don't know," she answered.

* * *

_*¹ I don't remember if it was Harry or Hermione who tried to use the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix in their fifth year at the Department of Mysteries...I think it was Harry after Bellatrix sent Sirius through the Veil...please pretend that Hermione tried to curse her any other time after their fifth year (^.^')_

_I apologise for the late update...I have been away with my family for our yearly camping trip (^.^) so I had not been able to access the internet while outdoors in the woods...Has anyone ever been Snipe Hunting? (That one never gets old lol...went Snipe Hunting with my cousin's church group one summer. A girl actually caught a field mouse in her pillowcase and pretended it was a Snipe...that was a fun night…)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Violet_

* * *

_I solemnly swear that I own nothing...I can only wish I did :p_

* * *

_**I understand that child abandonment can be an offensive and sore subject for some people, therefore I would like to offer my apologies if I happen to offend a reader in some way…I truly do not mean to offend anyone.**_

* * *

He looked down at the sleeping newborn babe in his arms and brushed a wavy lock of her light blonde hair aside. This little wished away would require a nursery so he quickly cleared his personal sitting room and conjured a purple bassinet to match the babe's name, Violet, before fading back to the aboveground to talk with the child's mother.

He could tell something was off about the woman standing before him. She seemed too happy that her child was missing.

"Run a labyrinth!" She laughed as though he had suggested she jump off the nearest bridge to her death! "If I had to choose between that...that _thing_, and having my dreams come true I choose my dreams!"

Jareth was floored, speechless...appalled. This woman did not even hesitate to give her child away. In all his years, he had come across so many couples that wished for a child and could not have one, and here was this abysmal woman who was throwing hers away as if the babe were a doll that had lost her interest and she wanted a new toy!

"Here," the woman pushed a photograph into the Goblin King's chest. Jareth looked down at the picture to see a man smiling for the camera. "I don't want to see it again, ever, or for her to know what I look like and come looking for me in the near future, but it can know what her father looked like."

"_IT_!" Jareth shouted, finally finding his voice again after offering the woman a chance to reclaim her child or take her dreams, and getting laughed at for his offer! "I can promise you one thing," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Your dreams may come true, but you will never be satisfied! You will die longing for something that you will never remember!" With those words, he handed the woman her dreams and erased her memories of her daughter and himself. Before leaving, he grabbed a picture of the woman, so when the child grew up...she would know what a monster looked like.

O.o

"I cannot believe this. I refuse to believe this!" Jareth muttered to himself repeatedly as he held up a bottle of warm milk while the infant he cradled suckled. "Heartless!" He hissed disgustedly.

"I see little Violet has made her entrance," Ambry spoke up from the doors of the improvised nursery.

"I have not been this disgusted with a human in years!" He spat. "After centuries of collecting wished away children, not one parent or guardian has ever taken their dreams and dismissed the child as if they were throwing away a broken toy!" He hissed quietly, trying not to yell and scare the babe. "She's barely even a month along," he blinked back the tears that started fogging up his eyes, determined not to let them fall. "Do you know what I would give for a family of my own?" He whispered. Ambry hugged her brother and laid a kiss on the infant's cheek.

"Why do you not go and see Hermione?" Ambry suggested. Jareth looked up at his sister suspiciously.

"Why?" He asked, wiping away the drops of milk that dribbled out the corner of the little infant's mouth. He looked up to see the faraway look in his sister's eyes. "What did you See?" Jareth asked when Ambry finally blinked and became more aware of her surroundings. Ambry looked down at the child with a frown.

"Violet is a witch," she said quietly. Jareth stiffened.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly. "Is that what you just Saw?" Ambry nodded and Jareth inhaled, holding his breath before releasing it.

"Her magic will manifest soon," she said quietly.

"Kingie!" A goblin shouted. Jareth hissed and kicked the giggling goblin while the infant wailed.

"I told you not to yell! You woke up the babe!" Jareth glared at the nodding goblin.

"But Kingie is needed in his office at Gringotts!" It continued talking loudly. Jareth delivered another kick before dismissing it.

"Can you take her for a few minutes?" Jareth held out the purple bundle to his sister. Ambry shook her head.

"I am sorry," she said quietly. "I have to meet with my fairies and you know how they are around small children." Jareth grumbled before stalking out of the newly made up nursery while rocking the wailing bundle.

O.o.O.o

'Jareth,' he repeated the name in his head for the millionth time. There was only one person he knew with that name and the Fae lived in the underground. That would explain why Hermione would think she was gone for one night in that realm and ended up being missing for four nights in this realm. Still, he could feel something changing. He could feel it in his core.

Lucius figured the change he was feeling had to do with Hermione and Jareth. He was a father first and foremost and he saw a change in Hermione when his worried eyes looked her over for any scratch, scrape, or bruise, or any type of harm that might have befallen his surrogate daughter. He even had Draco check her for dark curses and potions! His son had relieved his soul when he gave her a clean bill of health...yet she had, had a concussion.

'Jareth,' he came back to that name again. He glared at the goblins in the lobby as he made his way toward a hidden lift. The goblins simply scurried about their business and ignored the wizard who was always calling on their King. Lucius knew he had to see the Fae to sort out what happened...and to get to the bottom of this feeling he was having.

"What did you do to her!" Lucius Malfoy hissed over the wailing child.

"What did I do to whom?" Jareth asked, lifting an eyebrow while he tried to calm the babe in his arms. Lucius glared.

"To Hermione! What did you do to Hermione?!" He demanded. "She was gone for four days and the only thing she remembers is waking up in one of your rooms and having three glasses of wine!" Jareth laughed.

"I figured she was a lightweight, but not that much of a lightweight," he smirked.

"Well!" Lucius demanded after a few moments of pacing in the not-so-quiet office.

"Well what?" Jareth asked, deliberately playing ignorant.

"What did you do to her?" Lucius asked slowly, as if talking to a five-year-old child. Jareth rolled his eyes.

"I hardly think my personal life is any of your business," he drawled, knowing that would enrage the wizard, but how the wizard knew Hermione was what kept the Fae quiet. It seemed the wizard knew the witch quite well and judging from his actions, he seemed overprotective of her. This was not a person Jareth wished to tell of what happened between him and Hermione, not that he would have offered that information in the first place.

"Hermione's personal life is my business!" Lucius yelled, frightening the infant and causing her to wail even louder.

"I do not see how Hermione's personal life is your business!" Jareth glared. Lucius's hand twitched over the wand stashed away in his walking stick. Jareth lifted an eyebrow, daring the wizard to attempt to hex him.

"Hermione is like a daughter to my wife and me," Lucius said slowly, tensely. Jareth held the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. So he definitely did not want the wizard to know that he had given his surrogate daughter her first experience in...he cleared his throat.

"Here," he handed the wailing babe to the wizard. Lucius frowned but didn't refuse the small child. He looked down into icy blue eyes, almost a very light grey, and his heart caught in his throat. The child's eyes were a perfect mixture of Narcissa's corn blue eyes and his stormy grey eyes.

"She's a witch," Lucius whispered, gently swaying the quieting infant. Jareth nodded and tried to keep his temper when he thought of how the babe was now his.

"Her mother refused to run and accepted her dreams instead," Jareth looked furious as he spoke. Lucius growled quietly, holding the whimpering infant closer to his chest and forgetting, altogether, about the reason he demanded an impromptu meeting with the Goblin King.

"You do remember that small decree about a witch or wizard not being kept by the Goblin Kingdom," Lucius said lightly. Jareth nodded dejectedly.

"What are you going to do?" Lucius asked. "If the Ministry finds out that you are keeping this child, whether the mother abandoned her or not, you may have another war on your hands."

"I know!" Jareth hissed. "I cannot even walk into the Ministry to tell them that the mother wished away the child and did not run for her because they will still blame me for kidnapping her!"

"You also cannot give her back to the magical world because, according to your rules, she is to become one of you now," Lucius pointed out the other problem. Jareth growled in frustration.

"What is a Fae to do?!" Jareth threw himself into his office chair, gracefully draping his legs over an armrest.

O.o

Lucius growled and slammed his fist into the wood of his desk. The sly Fae handed him the child to take his mind off of the reason he was there in the first place. 'And it worked!' He grumbled. He hated being outwitted by Jareth.

He chuckled. They took turns outwitting the other. It was a refreshing game they played, for both the Fae and the wizard. The only other person who could out Slytherin him was Hermione. 'They would be a good match.' As soon as that thought crossed his mind he grumbled again. 'Hermione is too good for him!' That was his unwavering opinion.

"Mi is too good for whom?" Lucius looked up at his smirking wife. "You talk out loud when you sulk Lucius," she chuckled. "Why so sullen?" She laughed at her glaring husband.

"I am not sulking nor am I sullen," he answered haughtily.

"Of course you are not," his wife said in a cooing tone with a small smile playing about her lips. He grumbled again, knowing she was teasing him. "So how do you know Jareth?" Her question caught him off guard and his elbow slipped from the desk. Narcissa smirked at her husband and waited for an answer.

"How do you know her?" Lucius asked curiously.

"Really Lucius? Her?" She smirked. "I know you better then that and besides...what mother would name her daughter Jareth?" She lifted an eyebrow. Lucius rolled his eyes.

"We talk investments," he answered.

"I wished Bellatrix away when I was five," Narcissa answered right after him. Lucius's elbow slipped off his desk again, this time in astonishment. "Smooth husband," she teased.

"And you ran the Labyrinth for her?!" Lucius's voice rose and Narcissa frowned at him.

"Well I didn't know what she would turn out to be when we grew up," she defended herself. Lucius laughed.

"Such irony," he murmured, and his wife silently agreed with him.

"It is not polite to talk behind someone's back." Lucius and Narcissa turned at the voice.

"Jareth," Lucius said tersely, covering his abused ears at the sound of the wailing infant, but still upset with the Fae for outwitting him. "You really should not kidnap children if you don't know how to care for them," he smirked. Jareth glared.

"I just came to clear my reputation and this is what I get," he muttered to a wailing Violet. Narcissa lifted an eyebrow. "I believe I used up half of the tricks in my book to get you to choose your dreams Narcissa," he frowned. "You were adamant that your mother would curse you into next year if you did not go home with your sister." Narcissa laughed.

"So you did," she smiled. "Really Jareth, you are rocking that child all wrong," she admonished him and grabbed the infant before he could get a word in. Baby Violet instantly quieted in Narcissa's arms.

"Well that is a step up from Lucius," Jareth smirked at the wizard. Lucius grumbled again. Narcissa gently swayed the infant, looking down at her in awe.

"What are you doing with a witch?" She asked. "The Ministry will come down on your head if they find out."

"You are looking at the very first child whose mother willingly abandoned her during King Jareth III's reign," Lucius said quietly. Narcissa gasped, holding the infant closer to herself while holding back tears.

"I really should not have heard that," Another new voice spoke up from the entrance to Lucius's study.

"Minister Shacklebolt," Lucius greeted, standing up from his chair behind his desk. Kingsley frowned at the wizard.

"I came to ask for those account ledgers my assistant had trouble balancing out and I stumble upon a violation to a treaty I believe was signed by your father before Merlin's time," he said to Jareth.

"Just before he released his reigns to me," Jareth confirmed. Kingsley shook his head.

"I am not Fudge," he said aloud. "Tell me what happened. I know you don't go around kidnapping children, especially witches and wizards."

"In my defence, I only wanted to find a loophole to sort all this out without unwillingly violating the treaty further," Jareth answered. "As to what happened, well, two days ago, in aboveground time, Violet's mother wished her away and did not even consider running for her daughter. I had to give her, her dreams instead and take the babe...who so happens to be a witch, as you already heard," he said brusquely, the reality of the story caused him to become livid.

"Who are the child's parents?" Kingsley asked. Jareth paused.

"The mother is a woman named Rachel Craftsen, a normal human. Your kind would call her a muggle," He answered. "From what I gathered the child's father passed and I," he said quietly, pausing, "I checked for other living relatives, but she has none." Kingsley breathed a sigh of apprehension.

"It is in your favour that Miss Violet Craftsen's only parent and guardian is not a part of our world," Kingsley said. "I can give you a month of our time to figure out how to solve your problem before I have to report this to the Ministry Family Archives. The department head will then make a case and most likely have it before the Wizengamot the next day."

"Thank you Minister," Jareth gave the wizard a tight smile. Kingsley nodded in acknowledgement.

"Now if you will both excuse us," Lucius said to his wife and Jareth.

* * *

_...I do promise that Violet is going to be happy (^.^)..._

_Just wanted to say that I finished an eighth chapter to this story O.o_

_I am trying to stay a few chapters ahead of the chapter that I have already posted, but I am already becoming bogged with little things I have to get done before the school semester officially starts :p_


	5. Chapter 5

Violet

* * *

_I found Jareth in my parents' living room yesterday...when I entered the room he just smirked and told me my dreams of being able to write that I do have rights to Labyrinth and Harry Potter characters will never come true (T_T) I cried and he laughed and faded away...the arse.._

* * *

**_Please heed the M warning..._**

* * *

He held the crystal ball in his hand again...staring, thinking. 'Her hair was soft,' he thought, unconsciously wiggling his fingers as he if were currently running them through her soft, silky mane. Her saccharine lips were so tempting the moment he laid eyes on them. He had to have them. Then there were her eyes...the fire that burned in them was very tempting to a man such as himself, like the curves...those sensuous curves he already memorised.

He groaned and shifted his eyes back to the crystal ball he held and stared at the green-eyed woman reading a story to her son outside on a lounge chair by their pool. His mind froze. He had been thinking about Hermione while ignoring a woman he had waited for, for years to call his name. "Hermione," he said her name out loud to his empty throne room and frowned, then smiled softly.

"Grumbly!" He called. A few seconds later, a small goblin came scurrying in, tripping and sliding to a stop right at Jareth's feet. Jareth lifted an eyebrow at the giggling goblin. "You will make sure my throne and the room it resides in continues to stay clean," he ordered. "Or it is the bog for you!" His voice echoed throughout the stone room as he faded.

O.o

Hermione grumbled to herself while walking back to her office. Never in her whole life had she forgotten to turn in a paper on time. Never until that day. Thankfully, her boss was just a little concerned for her well-being and excused her slip of mind. Still, that did not stop her from feeling like a failure.

While quietly sulking on her way back to her office she failed to notice the people around her or that certain corridor she always hurried past lest she catch the unwanted attention of Orwen Schoen. Orwen Schoen was a stuttering, pimply little, overly confident pompous wizard who had just graduated Hogwarts and set his bifocaled eyes on Hermione. He was determined to marry her despite her being engaged to Ronald Weasley. When he saw their break up story in the Daily Prophet, he shouted for joy.

As Hermione unwittingly sulked, inches, centimetres before reaching her open office door she frowned and shook off the sudden shiver that ran down her spine. She yelped and turned, wand raised, when she realised that it was a cold body pressing itself against her back. She looked up into the determined blue eyes of Orwen Schoen and berated herself for letting her guard down.

"I just wanted to offer my condolences...Hermione," he said all too happily in her opinion. She suppressed a disgusted snort at the sound of her name coming from him.

"Thank you Mister Schoen," she said dismissively, turning back to make the rest of the very short way back into her office. He stopped her, swinging her back around and placing his arms around her in what was supposed to be in comfort. "Pardon me but I should really be getting back to work," she said tersely, pushing the younger man away before she gave in to her dearest desire to hex him.

"Now that you are free of that horrible relationship I was thinking we coul-"

"Hermione," a smooth baritone voice interrupted the pimply little wizard. Hermione tried not to look too relieved as she turned only to find herself completely against the chest of another man with his lips upon hers, kissing her senseless. The disgusted snort behind her brought her back to her senses, but before she had a chance to push the stranger away he pulled her into her office and slammed the door on a stunned, but mostly livid, Orwen.

"What do you think you are doing!" She hissed at the man's back. He turned and she tried not to gasp when looking up into familiar mismatched eyes. Jareth smirked while walking towards Hermione, who unconsciously backed up and into her desk. He stopped right in front of her, leaning over her, and placing his hands on the desk on either side of her while looking down into those honey brown eyes that, as of late, were replacing the green eyes he constantly thought about.

"I was saddened when you never called me," Jareth pouted. "Then a friend paid me an unexpected visit," he said. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you did not remember anything past your third glass of wine." Hermione blushed when she realised just how close his face was to her, how close his body was against hers. "So I thought it my duty to remind you," he whispered. Hermione's breath caught.

"Remind me of what?" She asked. She felt his smirk as his lips hovered over hers. He suddenly pulled his head back, making her head spin when she finally remembered to breathe and she silently wondered what she was doing...what he was doing.

"I want to apologise," he said quietly. Hermione looked confused.

"For what?" She asked, becoming just a little annoyed at the fact that he knew something about her that she did not.

"We were both a little inebriated-" he stopped and chuckled. "Well, you were completely inebriated and I was a little past tipsy," he corrected himself with a laugh. "How did this happen?" He asked himself aloud. Hermione fought the urge to growl at him.

"How did what happen?" Hermione asked a little more severely than what she meant and lightly blushed. Mismatched eyes gazed down into her own, almost as if they were looking past her and into her. She growled and pushed a hard chest away from herself with no success. Jareth removed his hands from the desk, entrapping her, but used them to wrap around her body, bringing her flush against himself in one swift pull.

"Perhaps a little reminder is in order," he whispered, brushing his lips over her ear and down to lay a soft kiss right behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat while her head swam with dizziness.

"R-reminder of what?" She whispered, feeling something flat and hard against her back and realising her position on her desk.

"I asked you to dinner," he answered while running a hand up her thigh and under her skirt. "Can you guess the rest?" He smirked. Hermione gasped and then felt his lips on hers again, his teeth nipping her lower lip, and his tongue sliding into her, exploring her mouth. He groaned when she brought her hips up to grind against his and slid his fingers into her folds.

Hermione mewled at the feel of his long fingers sliding into her centre and groaned at the loss when he took them away. He freed himself, thankful for the relief, and placed himself at her entrance. He groaned softly and she mewled at the feel of him slowly sliding himself in.

"Oh dear Merlin!" She gasped.

"Jareth," he groaned upon pulling out and sliding himself back in and feeling his head hitting her womb and quickening his pace when he felt her walls fluttering.

"Jareth!" She yelled and he groaned as she milked him of his seed. After a few seconds, he slowly pulled himself out and she let out a regretful moan at the loss of feeling so full. He adjusted her knickers before pulling her skirt down and helped her off her desk. He pulled her into his lap when he sat and held her, keeping her as close as he could while their hearts calmed.

"I kind of remember a little now," Hermione said quietly after a few minutes, then chuckled. "If you had not been here to interrupt Schoen I would have stuck to my foolish promise and ended up in bed with him," she shivered in fright at the thought.

"You will have dinner with me tonight," Jareth said. Hermione looked up at him with her eyes blazing.

"Is that an order?" She asked. He did not get a chance to answer because of the knock on her office door. Hermione hurriedly straightened her scattered parchments with a flick of her wand and opened the door, only to double back when she realised whom the person standing on the other side was. "What are you doing here Weasley?" She hissed, her hand tightening around her wand.

"I-I just wanted to apologise," Ron said quietly, his face a bright red. "And bring you a cup of your favourite tea," he added just as Jareth stepped up behind Hermione.

"Are you sure it is not poisoned?" He asked, snatching the cup from a red-faced Ronald and sniffing the contents.

"I-I...that was all Lavender!" He shouted and turned redder when he caught the attention of the people passing Hermione's office. "I can't believe you told a stranger!" He hissed quietly, glaring. Hermione turned to Jareth, ignoring the angered ginger.

"I will see you at dinner tonight Jareth," she said, taking the cup of tea from him and letting it drop to the floor and looking too overjoyed at the sound of crashing glass. Jareth smirked.

"Y-You will not!" Ron yelled. Hermione ignored him and slammed her office door in his face.

"I will pick you at six," Jareth said before pecking Hermione's lips and opening the door. "It was not an order," he said softly. "It is simply my way of asking," he said before closing it and turning to face an angry ginger.

"My fiancée will not be going out with you!" He yelled.

"A good thing too," Jareth drawled. "I do not date pregnant woman who have a thing for gingers or stealing another's fiancé with the intent to kill his fiancée. Thankfully _my_ Hermione is nothing of that sort," he said, leaving behind a fuming, sputtering ginger.

O.o

"Lucius," Jareth greeted.

"Must you insist on popping in and out unannounced," Lucius drawled. Jareth smirked.

"Must you insist on bleaching your hair roots," he retorted. Lucius sputtered.

"I do not!" He said curtly.

"Calm down old man," Jareth laughed and Lucius growled.

"If anyone here is the old man-"

"I do have fun yanking your wand," Jareth continued laughing.

"I suggest you use another phrase," Lucius smirked. "Otherwise someone overhearing this conversation would think us lovers," he laughed. "By the way, where is that little witch you kidnapped?" Jareth glared.

"I did not nor do I kidnap children," he answered tersely. "Your dear wife is in the underground looking after her. Frankly, I am surprised you have not missed Narcissa," Jareth smirked. Lucius frowned.

"She told me she was going to visit a friend," he said.

"That is neither here nor there," Jareth said dismissively, waving away the topic. "I am here to discuss your surrogate daughter." Jareth had Lucius's full attention.

"Well go on then!" He ordered after a long period of silence. Jareth lifted an eyebrow.

"I am just wondering if I should be the one to tell you," Jareth said quietly.

"If it is something important that I need to know then tell me," Lucius answered.

"Hermione told me something disturbing when she was at my castle," Jareth said slowly.

"Well go on! Spit it out!" Lucius ordered impatiently, becoming worried and more tense with every second the Fae kept whatever it was he thought he needed to know from him.

"You must first understand that before that time I did not know Hermione personally," Jareth said. "I mistook her words for a person who was still inebriated after a full night of drinking. If I had known the truth of them then, despite being a perfect stranger, I would have continued to constantly look after her...which I will now do," he said quietly, knowing the wizard would not hear the last part of his statement.

"Why do I get the feeling this is something bad?" Lucius asked anxiously. "Your words and my intuition tell me what you are going to say next is either going to knock me from here to tomorrow or upset me greatly."

"Hermione's ex-fiancé paid her a most unwanted visit at her office a few minutes ago," Jareth said conversationally. "He brought a peace offering," he sneered. "A cup of tea laced with Belladonna." His words hung over them in the silence of Lucius's study.

The glass windows behind Lucius suddenly busted along with every single item made up of glass.

"Get a hold of your magic!" Jareth hissed when the curtains hanging over the now broken windows spontaneously burst into flames. Lucius closed his eyes, breathing in and out rhythmically before opening them again and giving Jareth a curt nod.

"Now," Jareth continued. "His words when I took the tea away were, 'That was all Lavender.' I did not detect a hint of untruth of those words but I did find out something interesting," Jareth said slowly, mulling over the recent event in his head. "It was like he was under the Imperius curse, but still intact of his free will." Lucius sunk back into his seat.

"I would say impossible, but our very existence is supposed to be implausible," he said quietly. "That and he is an Auror. He was trained to throw off an Imperius," Lucius commented. "It has to be a potion," he said after a few moments.

"There are no potions like that," Jareth answered.

"None that are known," Lucius said.

* * *

_Just a long rant...read at your own peril...:_

_I was going to post this chapter this past Sunday but I actually, accidentally, deleted the files after saving worksheets for my niece in the same folder I keep all the stories I am working on (which includes this story and all its prewritten chapters I spent hours on). _

_When I deleted those worksheets from my hard drive, I somehow deleted my story files and I panicked, then remembered I saved my story files on one of my flash drives...well that flash drive stopped working and I wanted to stomp on the crappy thing :p (thankfully I did not (*SanDisk flash drives still suck!))_

_I ended up downloading recovery software and waited Three. Whole. Hours for the program to find my deleted files (grr!) I spent another hour going over, over eight hundred thousand something deleted files...and I still could not find my story files (t_t)_

_I finally got smart and used a restore point on my laptop to recover the files...when my computer restarted a blasted box pops up and says 'Your documents have not been affected' ! (Sorry for this long rant) I went straight to my document files, and just as my computer said, nothing was recovered like I hoped it would be when I used a restore point to recover my lost files (double :p)_

_I finally performed a search for the missing files and it found them right where they were s_upposed _to be (but they were not, nor were they hidden)...but they were corrupted (I wanted to pull my hair out by then) so I right clicked on the file and attempted to restore it to a previous version, which did not work on the folder as a whole, but it worked for the sub-folder I have this story saved in...however, I still could not access the files in the sub-folder (I was contemplating laptop file murder)_

_Finally, about that time, my flash drive (which I thankfully did not stomp on) chose to start working...but I had not updated the files for weeks...(stupid me) but after copying the saved files back onto my hard drive I was, _finally_, able to restore the main folder to a previous version and therefore lost nothing (*happy tears*)_

_Needless to say that I stomped on the sucky *SanDisk flash drive, stored my updated files on two other flash drives, and a micro SD card...which I am wholly dedicating myself to keeping updated every other day..._

_*I do not own SanDisk...neither would I want to because _most_ of their products are crappy...stick to **Kingston or some other trusted brand..._


	6. Chapter 6

Violet

* * *

_As always I have to say that I own nothing :p_

* * *

She watched him furiously pace his study as he muttered and hissed to no one in particular. Never had she seen her brother this upset, tired, or fearful. His rapidly changing aura was hurting her eyes and his magic was rolling off him in tidal waves that were making her sensitive skin ache.

"You need to tell me now Ambry!" Jareth demanded. Ambry shook her head and stayed silent for a moment.

"If I tell you what I have Seen the outcome will be worse," she admitted quietly. "You need to calm down," she admonished him, and then smirked. Jareth glared at his sister. "I know you are taking Hermione out again," she chuckled. "No need to go to her in a foul mood."

"Fine," Jareth conceded and heavily sat in the chair situated behind his desk. His sister sighed in relief as his aura stopped its rapidly swirling and changing patterns, and his magic calmed down to smooth waves that soothed her delicate skin.

"Thank you," she said to her considerate brother. He gave her an apologetic glance and continued to allow his magic to soothe her. "When was the last time you checked over the castle ledgers?" Ambry asked.

"What are you not telling me?" Jareth asked as he stood from his chair, stretched, and crossed his study to unlock a cabinet he had not thought to open for a while. "Seeing as I am the only person that-" he stopped and Ambry smiled widely. Jareth looked at her, as if to confirm he was not seeing things, and she nodded. He pulled out a faintly glowing crystal their mother had given him before fading across the veil to be with their father.

"Why has she not-"

"She does not know yet," Ambry lightly interrupted. "It will be very soon though." Jareth gave a resigned sigh.

"Just when everything is going to the bog something like this happens," he said quietly. "Not that I am complaining," he added, smiling thoughtfully. "How long have you known?" Jareth asked his sister who was smiling dreamily.

"Since the beginning," she answered softly. "I could not say anything yet with you pining over that girl. That is just how things are," Ambry said.

"You," Jareth pointed at her, "Ambrosia, Queen of the Fairies, are an enigma. I cannot wait till you meet your match," he smirked. Ambry laughed.

"You do realise this will give you so many more allies as well as enemies...old and new," she said quietly. "I suggest you keep this as quiet as possible for the time being." Jareth nodded, taking the Seers advice to heart as he always did. "Good. Now go get ready."

"So in so many unspoken words you are telling me this is something that must happen," Jareth stated.

"Yes it is," she admitted. "I have not Seen how this will end...but I feel it will be a happy ending."

O.o

This cliff was her favourite place in all of the aboveground. It was where she came to relax and organise her mind. At times, when everything seemed as if it were trying to compact itself into a small ten by ten centimetre box, this was were she would come to sort it all out and throw the unneeded away, and organise the unwanted from the necessary and the direly needed thoughts and actions into that small theoretical box. She opened her eyes and smiled at the setting sun before deciding it was time to return home.

"So I finally catch you here," a voice said behind her. Ambry turned and frowned. "You would not have Seen me," he answered. "I have Seen you so many times…and you have yet to See me," he said quietly. "You will after this," he smiled at the woman.

"I have Seen the end," he said softly when she still did not speak.

"You have?" Ambry finally spoke after a few more minutes of trying to figure out the stranger...to See him, but his future was blocked from her...for now. The stranger just smiled softly.

"Soon," he said quietly, understanding her frustrations. "For now just know that I will be, and am, an ally," he said before turning on the spot and leaving with a quiet _Crack_.

Ambry frowned at the spot he stood before fading back to her own castle.

O.o.O.o

"Are you trying to annoy me by your continuous fawning?" Hermione asked a bit more harshly then how she intended to ask and blushed. "Sorry, I have just been a little tired lately," she apologised.

"Don't be," Jareth said understandingly, almost too understandingly in her opinion. Hermione gave him a curious gaze. "You are the most beautiful witch in the room and I want you to notice me," he smiled. Hermione lightly blushed.

"What are you not telling me?" She asked. Jareth tried not to frown at her perceptiveness.

"This is usually not something one brings up on a third date," he said quietly. "Usually this is something one should know beforehand." Hermione smiled inwardly to herself but outwardly frowned.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her brows furrowing. Jareth looked at her from across the small table.

"I am talking about who I am," he answered quietly. Hermione smiled.

"You are Jareth," she answered.

"Have you not wondered what my last name is?" Jareth asked the witch, noticing her lips twitch at his question. "Hermione," he said quietly, and she caught the warning note in his voice.

"Oh all right," she conceded. "I looked you up in the Ministry's Family Archives after that first time you visited me at my office," she blushed at the memory. "After not finding you under any new files for muggle-born, half-blood, or pureblood families I extended my search to extended family members and still found nothing."

"You would not find me in the Ministry's Family Archives," he chuckled.

"Now I know that," Hermione answered. "I decided to broaden my search to the Ministry's General Archives and summoned any record with the name Jareth."

"What did you find?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing much...your Majesty," she answered, smirking. "Though I am interested in knowing why you..." she paused and cleared her throat, "...the first time and the second time," she said quietly. Jareth was quiet and that worried her.

"I admit the first time would not have happened-" he grabbed Hermione's hand when she moved to stand. "Let me finish!" He said hurriedly, pulling her back into her chair. "I regret that you do not remember most of what happened, that is what I mean."

"I do not regret that it happened. I regret that I was also influenced with the alcohol," he said quietly. "I would have liked for us both to have our full working wits about us for your first time. The second time was something I wanted and I am sorry if I came off as forceful." Hermione smiled behind her hand.

"If you were forceful I would have smacked you and told you to go to hell," Hermione said with a small laugh. "Thank you for that though," she said softly. "But why do you continue seeing me? I am sure there are better...options for you."

"You think you are not a suitable option?" He asked the lightly blushing witch. "Let me tell you this," he said gently. "You are the most suitable woman out there and I have been blinded by someone who was very inadequate that I would have ignored you not three months ago," he admitted ashamedly.

"What type of relationship do we have?" She asked aloud what she had been asking herself the past few days. Jareth squeezed her hand he still held in his.

"I know you are still hurting over your recently ended relationship," he said softly. "I would like us to be more then what we are now. I want a family," he admitted to her. "I can see myself having that with you." Hermione blushed.

"I-is there anything else I need to know about?" She asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer. Jareth frowned.

"What do you know about the 985 B.C. treaty?" He asked. Hermione brows furrowed with the question as she sifted through history dates in her head.

"There is no such thing," she answered quickly. Jareth shook his head.

"Only the Minister and the Wizengamot have knowledge of this treaty," he said. "We all are under oath." Hermione looked at him disbelievingly. "That is why I have asked them to join us," he motioned to the couple entering the private room the restaurant reserved for their evening date. Hermione looked at him, surprised, and smiled when Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy joined them for dessert at their table.

"This is a delightful surprise," Hermione said, giving them each a kiss on their cheek in greeting. "I would make a joke about this being a muggle establishment but I think that comment is enough," she chuckled, Narcissa laughed, and Lucius frowned though the corners of his mouth were lifted. "So what is this about a treaty that only the Minister and certain people know about?" She asked.

"Down to business as usual," Lucius drawled. Hermione just smiled and Lucius decided to indulge her and get straight to the point. "A few years ago I overheard-"

"You _overheard_," Hermione interrupted Lucius with a small snort. He glared half-heartedly and she laughed.

"As I was saying," he said pointedly. "I _overheard_," he smirked at Hermione, "Cornelius Fudge talking to his Under-secretary about a certain treaty between the Ministry of Magic and a certain Goblin Kingdom-"

"That witless Minister attempted to start a war between wizards and goblins again!" Jareth interrupted.

"If I may continue," Lucius said impatiently. "Since I am neither under oath to discuss the treaty and overheard most of its basic points Jareth was able to explain the rest to me, and later, I to Narcissa."

"Since I know nothing about it he cannot explain," Hermione said quietly and looked at Jareth who gave her a small nod.

"I can only tell you that it does exist," Jareth said.

"Yes," Lucius agreed. "The treaty was written by Jareth's father a century before Merlin's time. During that time witches and wizards would wish one or most of their children away because they could not afford to feed them. King Jareth II would, by his laws, have to fulfil their wish, collect the child or children, and offer the person who wished the child away their dreams or a chance to earn their child back by running through a labyrinth to reach the castle in the centre within the time limit of thirteen hours.

"The Ministry of Magic was loosing a lot of citizens this way and became worried, and the Goblin Kingdom and its neighbouring kingdom were gaining too many subjects. King Jareth II, and his sister Queen Bethesda I, knew it was imperative to come up with an accord. Those witches and wizards who were wished away would be given to relatives who were willing to take in the child, but the relatives had to run the labyrinth to earn the child back. The Ministry was already considering waging a war against the underground to gain back the children so King Jareth II successfully avoided this from happening with the accord, which the Ministry insisted become a legally binding agreement.

"The Ministry had only one stipulation to add to the, now, treaty," Lucius explained. "If a witch or wizard was to be wished away and not given back to a parent or relatives, the Ministry would wage a war to reclaim their lost citizen."

"That is hardly a fair stipulation!" Hermione exclaimed. "It is just one child who would be getting the essentials they need to survive and grow. If it were fifty or one hundred children taken away, then I would consider waging a _war_ to reclaim the children. One also has to consider if the child or children were to be abandoned by their parent or parents who take their dream instead and had no relatives to reclaim them! What then?"

"That is exactly what is happening right now," Jareth spoke up, gaining Hermione's attention. "Her name is Violet Craftsen. She is two months old now and her mother abandoned her," he said curtly, clenching his fists in barely concealed anger. "By my laws, since she has no relative to run for her, she is to become one of us. With this treaty in place I have to give her back, but the magic binding me to my laws restrain me from doing so."

"How much time do we have to figure something out?" Hermione asked. Jareth turned to her in surprise.

"We?" He asked. Hermione smiled.

"You are not alone in this," she answered determinedly. "How much time?"

"Your Minister gave me a month to figure something out but I still have not and I only have until tomorrow," he answered. Hermione tensed at the unfortunate news.

"Well," she said quietly. "If it is a war the Ministry wants then it is a war they will get." She looked up at Jareth then Lucius and Narcissa. "What do you think about calling an emergency Order meeting?" She asked them. Lucius lifted an eyebrow, smirking, and Narcissa smiled.

"I think that is a good idea," Narcissa answered. "I only wish we would have thought to do that yesterday." Jareth smirked.

"Your wish-"

"Is not for you to grant," Narcissa answered swiftly. Jareth laughed.

"An Order meeting it is then," Hermione said, tapping her wand to a galleon. Lucius and Narcissa pulled the burning coins out of their pockets, grinning down at their coins.

* * *

_I feel I really must apologise for this overdue chapter...I really did mean to have it up this past Monday, but alas, I had myself confined to my room because of this wretched hay fever I have practically all year round :p :p (this time of year is the worst...weeds suck...and the rains have not helped one bit :p) and today is one of the days I can stand any source of light without an accompanying headache :p_


	7. Chapter 7

Violet

* * *

_This sentence is nothing but a short disclaimer :p_

* * *

"George," Jareth greeted the young wizard solemnly. George Weasley turned and gave the Fae a sad smile. "You should have taken your dreams," Jareth lightly jested and George gave him a soft laugh.

"I only wished Fred away because he wanted to visit the underground after mum told us the story," George said.

"He was quite a handful," Jareth sighed. "I am only thankful you did not get someone to wish you both away at the same time," he chuckled and George laughed half-heartedly. "Soon after your visit, one of my Fieries showed up at the entrance to my castle with a missing head." George tried not to look too guilty and smirked. "Would you happen to know where he left it?" Jareth inquired.

"Why no your majesty," George shook his head unashamedly. "If I were that fiery I would have taken better care of my appendages," he tried not to laugh.

"What is this I hear?" Hermione smiled, stepping out from behind the Goblin King. "You naughty boy, George Weasley," she laughed.

"Is this your idea of a joke Hermione?" Harry asked, staring at the man dressed in grey tights and a white poets shirt with only a heavy cloak to hold back the cold. "You look exactly like the Goblin King in that film," he commented.

"That is one of my-well my only favourite film," Jareth smirked and twisted his hand to play with a few crystals between his fingers. Harry gaped, his eyes bulged at the sight.

"You must have gotten George in on this," he said after collecting himself when he heard Hermione laughing. She shook her head.

"This is honestly not a joke and he is the real Goblin King," she said, smirking, while George continued to laugh at Harry's incredulous expression.

"Perhaps a trip to the bog will convince you," Jareth whispered his mock threat. Harry involuntarily shuddered at the threat in the Goblin King's words.

"Not happening," Hermione answered for Harry, chuckling at Jareth's barely concealed pout, and ushered everyone into the entry hall of Grimmauld Place. Jareth playfully sulked and allowed her to lead him away. The noise assaulted their ears upon entering and the two wizards and one witch smiled sadly at the memories it brought back for each of them.

"Hermione," Arthur Weasley greeted despondently. Hermione gave the man a big hug before pulling back and kissing his cheek.

"You are still one of the greatest wizards of all time in my mind," Hermione whispered to the sombre wizard. "I think nothing less of you for their choices. Their choices were not your own and I think nothing less of you," she reiterated. "Nothing has changed," she said gently. Arthur gathered her into another hug before excusing himself.

"Thank you Mione," Ginny smiled softly. "His conscience has been weighing on him these past few days." Hermione smiled sadly. "I think he was even avoiding me at the Ministry. I hope this helps. I miss seeing him everyday," she said quietly.

"So what have you called a meeting for?" Ginny asked a bit more loudly to gain everyone's attention.

"Kingsley's not here yet," Harry spoke up.

"I did not think it a good idea that he be here at the moment," Hermione answered.

"Why?" Harry and Ginny asked.

"Because he is the Minister and this emergency involves the Ministry," Narcissa answered.

"What does?" Neville asked.

"Well...you see..." Hermione said hesitantly, effectively gaining the attention of the whole room. Everyone knew the situation was serious when Hermione hesitated. She chose her words carefully before she spoke again. "It all started centuries ago with wished away children and a desperate Ministry," she started the explanation about the reason they were all there while everyone quietly listened and asked questions which were either answered by her, Lucius, and later Jareth.

"That is hardly fair," Luna said airily, but with a hint of a dreamy glare that amazed everyone when she could actually pulled off the facial gesture.

"It is unfair," Hermione agreed.

"What is the plan?" George asked. Everyone paused and looked at Hermione.

"The day after tomorrow, Minister Shacklebolt has to report Violet's case to the Head of the Ministry's Family Archives and there will most likely be an inquiry the next day when the Head of said department presents the case before the Wizengamot," Lucius answered. "If you will allow me," he paused. "When Jareth is summoned a few days from now I propose we should all accompany him to show the Ministry that he has the Order of the Phoenix's full support."

"Will that not make us enemies of the Ministry?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"I know you all have lives here aboveground," Jareth spoke up. "I do not expect you all to just up and become traitors to your Government-"

"Screw the Ministry," Hermione interrupted, and everyone agreed with her.

"Kingsley is a great Minister but he is in way over his head with those bigots," Ginny said sadly. "You still have my support," she said to the Fae. "The Ministry will just place Violet in some overcrowded orphanage and she'll be starved of the love and caring a child needs to grow." She was met with silent agreements from the crowd.

"After the Order announces its decision to side with the Goblin Kingdom, where are we going to hide?" Luna asked. "It is obvious that Harry will not be able to go back to his Senior Auror position in the Ministry after our public denouncement, Hermione will not be able to go back to her Head position in the Research and Development department, and Professor Snape will be very vulnerable at Hogwarts," she pointed out.

"Well I, for one, do not mind taking a breather," Severus drawled. "We would have to make everyone believe we have left the country, though how we will pull of a mass exodus is beyond me," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with his potion-stained index finger.

"The answer is simple," a new voice spoke up from the entryway of the kitchen.

"Ambry," Jareth greeted. "I would like to introduce my younger sister, Queen Ambrosia of the Fairy Kingdom. Ambry, you already know everyone," he said pointedly. She gave everyone a wide grin when the group gazed at her with various looks of awe and one or two with confusion.

"Yes," she answered with a smirk. "I have, of course, Seen everyone already, but that is not the current topic," she waved the introductions away. "I have already had the Goblins and elves dust and air out your guest wings," she said to her brother. "Whoever chooses to support the Goblin Kingdom will have the full support of the Fairy Kingdom also. Please gather your belongings and anything precious to you," she instructed the entire occupants of the room. "There will only be one chance to leave after the inquiry and we must take full advantage."

"I will be offering the Goblin Kingdom my full support," Hermione said firmly to the quiet room.

"If you are than I am," Harry immediately stood up next to Hermione.

"Count me in," George smiled.

"You can count on the Malfoy family," Lucius said to Jareth, shaking his hand and giving the Fae's sister a polite tilt of his head.

"Our family will stand by its own unwaveringly," Arthur said to Hermione. "With the exception-"

"Thank you Arthur," Hermione politely interrupted him. "I know this must be harder for you then it is for me but I am grateful all the same to be counted as a member of your family," she smiled up at one of her surrogate parents.

"I think you can count on all of us and the D.A.," Harry smiled at Hermione. Hermione's smile changed into a tired yawn.

"I think for old times sake I will stay in my old room tonight," she said. "If that is all right wi-"

"Do not even finish that sentence," Harry interrupted her. "You don't even have to ask Hermione. It is rather late," he commented. "You may stay if you like," he said to Jareth.

"Thank you very much Mister Potter," Jareth answered, and his sister politely bid her farewells while keeping a discreet eye a certain member of the Order. "I think I may take you up on that offer." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled down at her and followed her up the stairs.

"I know something is going on with you two," Draco spoke up behind Jareth. Hermione turned and landed a punch on his arm. "Ow woman!" He playfully glared then smiled. "You are going to share my room with me," he said pointedly to Jareth.

"You are even more overprotective than Harry," Hermione muttered quietly, rolling her eyes.

"With the trouble that follows you around I have to be," Draco answered smoothly, smirking at the, now, fuming witch.

"Hurry and go to your room Draco," Hermione ordered. "I am tired and I don't have the patience to put up with you at the moment." Draco frowned and stepped past Jareth, closer to Hermione.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently. "Are you feeling off?" Hermione sighed.

"I am sorry," she answered. "I've just been feeling exhausted these past few days. I am sure some rest over the weekend will help." Draco nodded, accepting her excuse and allowed Jareth to escort her to her room.

O.o

He inwardly groaned when he found he could not sleep. He lifted his head and contemplated whether he should toss a pillow at the sleeping occupant of the other bed situated a few feet from his. He dropped his head back into his pillow and punched the mattress. After a few more minutes of snores from the only sleeping occupant in the room, he decided to seek out warmth and comfort from the person who was on his mind, keeping him awake.

"One step within an inch of Hermione's door and my father will be hexing you into next year," Draco drawled, surprising the Fae. Jareth smirked at the young wizard in the darkness of the room.

"What makes you think I was going to see Hermione?" He asked innocently. "I may have been heading down to the kitchens to serve myself a warm cup of tea." Jareth could practically hear Draco rolling his eyes.

"I do know something happened between the two of you." Draco smirked at the man in the darkness. "I was the one to check up on her after she returned from being missing. It is amazing...the things magic can detect."

"If you know then why are you stopping me from going to sleep in Hermione's bed?" Jareth asked.

"Ah, so you admit you were sneaking out to further defile my father's daughter," Draco inwardly growled but gave the Fae an amused chuckle out loud. Jareth held his nose between his thumb and index finger.

"Nothing of what you are thinking is going to happen tonight," Jareth quietly hissed. Draco chuckled again.

"What do you know of what I am thinking?" He asked. "There are other things two people can do in bed besides a wand stirring a cauldron."

"Anyway," Jareth smirked at Draco's analogy. "Who said I was just going to walk into Hermione's bedroom?"

"I woul-" Draco never got to finish. Not a second later, a few wards filled in the silence of Grimmauld Place. He hurriedly jumped out of bed only to bump into his infuriated father and his mother chasing after the blond wizard. Harry met them in the middle of the corridor but was shoved aside as Draco had by the elder Malfoy. "He is a man on a mission," he whispered to Harry.

"What?" Harry asked. Before Draco could answer, Hermione's door was flung open by the enraged wizard only to meet the small form of an incensed witch who was standing in front of the now open door, tapping her foot with arms folded across her chest.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Hermione hissed at the enraged blond who ignored her and shot his first hex at the Fae standing behind the witch.

"Lucius!" Hermione and Narcissa pulled on his wand arm but he pushed them aside and into Draco, who helped the witches steady themselves with Harry's assistance.

"I knew something happened between you and our Mi!" He hissed at Jareth. "What happened to following the Old ways?! I thought Fae men adhered to it better than us wizards!"

"I was busy keeping up with how much wine Hermione was consuming after I figured out that she is a lightweight that I did not keep up with how much I consumed," Jareth admitted. Lucius growled and Harry jumped back in surprise and equal fright at the sound while Hermione and Narcissa continued trying to pull Lucius away from Jareth. Lucius paused at the name he heard Hermione call him, his head snapping to an equally surprised Hermione.

"D-did you just...?" He whispered, his anger rapidly leaving him. Hermione buried her face into Narcissa's neck and Narcissa held onto her tightly while gently swaying her side to side.

"I think we should give them a few minutes," Harry said to Jareth quietly, motioning for him to quickly leave the room while he still could.

"She did," Draco said quietly to his father after Harry and Jareth closed the bedroom door behind them after their hasty exit. Lucius looked down at the witch, feeling his heart constrict as her shoulders shook and she kept her face hidden from him in the folds of Narcissa's night robes.

"If you are ashamed-" Lucius began.

"No," Hermione interrupted, quickly lifting her head from Narcissa's shoulder. "I just feel like I'm betraying them in some way," she whispered.

"We do not expect you to-" Narcissa softly spoke up

"I know you don't," Hermione quickly reassured her. "It just feels right," she quietly admitted. "I would not say it if I did not feel that way. I-is that okay?" She whispered apprehensively while wringing her hands together. She looked up at blue and grey eyes, when two hands were placed over her own, to see Narcissa and Lucius looking at her with gentle expressions on their faces.

"I love the sound of it," Lucius smiled down at her. "I admit I was a bit jealous of Cissa when you were sick and delirious with the wizard's flu and called her Mum." Hermione blushed, quickly looking at a beaming Narcissa and then at the carpet. "I like the sound of Dad," he said pointedly to Draco. Draco rolled his eyes but smiled with Hermione.

"I loved the sound of Mum," Narcissa said nostalgically, remembering Hermione when she nursed her back to health. She quickly pulled her into a hug joined by Lucius and Hermione pulled a reluctant Draco into the group.

"What is this?" Hermione quietly gasped when the delicate tendrils of magic began swirling about them.

"Familial bonds!" Narcissa laughed joyfully. "Our magic is recognising you as a member of our family!"

"What is that!" Lucius suddenly hissed when a few of the tendrils twined themselves about Hermione's abdomen. Narcissa gasped and Draco just smirked.

"Was that normal?" Hermione asked apprehensively. Narcissa did not know how to answer her question, Lucius turned redder at the inquiry, and Draco continued smirking.

"Mi...love," Narcissa began hesitantly then leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear. "When was your last monthly gift?" She murmured. Hermione paused before turning very red.

"I'll kill him!" Lucius roared, already knowing the line of questioning that was asked of Hermione and judging her reaction for himself.

O.o

"May I ask how they became so close?" Jareth asked Harry as soon as they were both situated in the sitting room down the corridor from Hermione's bedroom. Harry took a sip of his firewhiskey before answering.

"When the Malfoys became a part of the Order our fifth year Hermione took it upon herself to make them feel welcome," Harry answered. "Molly Weasley was always muttering about how disgraceful their presence was and that the family should die along with Voldemort," he flinched at speaking those words from the Weasley Matriarch and her blatant actions towards the reformed Malfoy family.

"She always spurns them every chance she receives," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Hermione saw how they were trying to prove themselves and was always quick to stick up for one or all of them and encouraged them not to give up. She became close with the Malfoys and I still think Molly is jealous of their relationship."

"Can I ask why Lucius was so mad about finding you in Hermione's room?" Harry asked, his green eyes staring at the Fae a little harder. Jareth lifted an eyebrow but answered truthfully.

"I simply wanted to hold her while we slept," he replied. Harry could not decide whether to be angry with the man or not.

"I'll kill him!" The voice carried through every corridor and room of number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry jumped in his seat at the sound of the elder Malfoy's roar and quickly looked at Jareth.

"If he means you I would find a good place to hide," Harry spoke seriously.

O.o.O

She watched as he muttered to himself while agitatedly throwing, sometimes simply tossing, rocks over the edge of the cliff. "I Saw you," she spoke up quietly. He turned abruptly with his wand already at the ready and a curse already half-formed on his tongue.

"Did no one tell you not to sneak up on an ex-Death Eater!" He bit out harshly, then took a deep breath when all he received was a glare in return. "I am sorry," he said quietly. "It seems I owe your brother an apology and Hermione and him a congratulations," he said none too sincerely.

"Are you not happy for them? Especially Hermione. I know you have a close connection with her," Ambry said. He paused and smiled briefly before sneering openly at a thought, then sighed.

"My visions don't usually happen so quickly," he said quietly. "I thought I would have some time to prepare myself and my family," he sighed.

"I am curious to know how you kept your gift from Lord Voldemort," Ambry said after a few minutes of silent contemplation between the two.

"A Death Eater must keep some secrets your Majesty," he smirked and she laughed. "Just so you know," he paused, "the ending is worth fighting for," he said softly. Ambry heard the sombre note in his voice and gasped.

"Bitter-sweet," she said softly after Seeing a small portion of what he had already Seen, and receiving a nod from her companion.

"I daresay he needs the peace and comfort it will bring," he said quietly and she silently agreed with him.

"You do know that we must prepare them," she stated softly.

"Yes," he agreed while tossing pebbles now, instead of throwing them. "Have you not Seen it yet?" He suddenly asked. Ambry fought back a blush but noticed his smirk.

"Tease," she laughed and lightly bumped his shoulder with her own, he chuckled. "I suppose it does make sense," she said softly.

"How do you mean?" He asked.

"The Fairy Queen is chosen by the strength of her intuition," Ambry said quietly.

"The Fates have spoken then," he said wryly. "Funny," he sighed. "I always hated that my choices were dictated for me."

"Is that how you see this?" Ambry asked, suddenly upset. He turned his head and looked at her.

"Not any more," he said gently. "I look forward to the future...especially if it includes you."

* * *

_I would like to say Thank You to those who have chosen to leave reviews…_

_I really do appreciate them and I love reading your comments (^.^)_


	8. A Short Side Story

Violet

* * *

_Still do not own anything…_

* * *

_**A Short Side Story:**_

"Once upon a time, in a land not further than a few misspoken words, there was...are," the mother corrected herself, "two kingdoms full of goblins and fairies governed by the Fae folk. The Fairy Kingdom and Goblin Kingdom are always reigned by the Goblin King and his sister the Fairy Queen."

"The Fairy Kingdom oversees the dreams dreamt by the humans and creatures who live in the aboveground," she said to her twin sons. "The fairies are gentle creatures to the unconscious humans, always making sure they have pleasant dreams and not night terrors. Have you ever started having an unpleasant dream and it changes to something happy?" The mother asked the two heads that were bobbing up and down with wide smiles. She smiled down at the two red heads. "That is the fairies sprinkling fairy dust over you to help you dream something more pleasurable."

"Now the Goblin Kingdom is different," the mother spoke more sternly. "The Goblin King grants wishes. Anything you wish for, good or evil, if you wish upon the goblins he will grant it...even your dreams or night terrors, but you have to give him someone in return." The two five-year-old boys unconsciously shivered at the warning tone their mother's voice held.

"A person?" The boys asked apprehensively.

"Yes," the mother answered. "Long ago, before our world and the muggle world were two separate realities, there was famine and overwhelming disparagement of families with more than two children because most of those parents could not afford to feed more then four mouths so those parents began to wish that the goblins would take away a child or children."

"Why did they do that?" One boy asked.

"Did they not love their child?" The second asked sadly.

"No child," the mother said firmly. "They loved their children with all their hearts but they simply could not afford to feed their children. In hopes of their child getting a warm meal and a nice bed to sleep in the parents would wish their precious children away. Now when the parents wished away their child they became horrified at their words. The Goblin King gratefully took in these children and offered the parents a chance to return their child, but the parents had to earn their loved one back by running a labyrinth to reach the castle in the centre."

"Was it a big castle?" The first boy asked eagerly.

"With dungeons and chains and goblins?" The second asked excitedly. The mother laughed.

"I have never seen the castle personally, but I am sure it is full of goblins. I'm not so sure about the dungeons or chains," the mother smiled at her enthusiastic sons.

"What about the labyrinth?" The boys asked simultaneously, making their mother laugh light-heartedly.

"The labyrinth is filled with untold dangers," she said perilously. "One must always avoid the Bog of Eternal stench, lest the Goblin King makes you the prince of the Land of Stench forever, and you will never have the pleasure of smelling a rose again because the horrendous odour of the Bog overpowers the flower's delicate scent. If one gets even a small drop from the Bog on their person they will forever reek of the Bog and will spend their life in loneliness because every person they come upon will avoid them because of their stench." The boys sucked in a horrified breath at the thought of forever living in loneliness because they would smell that horrible.

"Then there are the fieries," the mother said in a terrified tone. "Those creatures love to take their head off their shoulders and juggle with it, but one must always take caution when they come upon one of these creatures," she warned. "They will try to remove your head, which is impossible for us mere humans," she sighed. "It is best to avoid these creatures all together."

"But it is always best to avoid the fairies when awake," she warned. "They can be nasty little creatures and have a dreadful bite."

"You said fairies are gentle," the boys said.

"The fairies are only gentle when one is asleep," the mother corrected. "It is best to leave a fairy to its business when you are awake and it will avoid you, unless you persist in pestering the small creature."

"What happens if the mum and dad don't earn back their child?" The first boy asked.

"That would be sad if they could not earn their child back," the second said solemnly. The mother sighed.

"Some parents do have a hard time earning back their child," she answered her sons. "The Goblin Kings uses his labyrinth to test the parents love for their child and their desire to right their wrong of wishing them away. If the Goblin King does not feel the parents deserve their child back he won't offer them clues or guides inside his labyrinth to help the parents make their way to his castle and the child will become one of them and live in the underground, becoming one of them."

"One of them?" The boys queried.

"What does that mean?" The second boy asked.

"It can mean a lot of things," the mother answered. "It can mean the child becomes a member of the Goblin Kingdom, or a goblin, maybe a fairy who is always watching over the humans dreams. Maybe the child becomes a Fae like the King and Queen who rule over the Fairy and Goblin Kingdoms," she shrugged.

"What if the child wants to go home?" The first boy asked.

"It is up to the parent to earn their child back," the mother answered. "Or he or she lives forever in the underground, they cannot come back to the aboveground. Maybe the Goblin King erases their memories so they won't bother him with requests to return to this realm."

"Can anyone wish a child away?" The second boy asked.

"Or can only a parent wish a child away?" The first asked.

"Siblings have wished their brother or sister away, but they always regret their words in the end," the mother said sadly. "Now you two go to sleep," she lightly ordered her sons, tucking their bed sheets under them and leaving a kiss on their temples before extinguishing the lights and closing their bedroom door.

"George?" The second boy whispered after so many minutes of silence.

"Yes Fred?" The first boy, George, whispered.

"Wouldn't it be cool to run through the labyrinth?" Fred whispered excitedly. George turned onto his side and smiled widely at his brother.

"And steal a fiery's head!" George chuckled.

"I want to explore the castle!" Fred exclaimed.

"Shh!" George shushed his twin brother. "Mum will hear us."

"Do you think there really is a Goblin Kingdom and a Goblin King?" Fred asked his brother.

"Only one way to find out," George smirked.

"Wish me away!" Fred practically bounced on their bed. George paused.

"How did mum say to do it?" He asked.

"Umm..." Fred's brows furrowed.

"Wish on the goblins!" They both said simultaneously.

"I wish the goblins would take you away!" George tried not to shout. The two boys waited for something to happen. George and Fred frowned when nothing happened. "Right now?" George added. Thunder roared through the sky and lightening flashed past their bedroom window. George jumped and reached for his brother's hand, only to feel the now flat bed sheets. "Fred?" George whispered, trying to be brave when he felt he was now alone in their room. The small child slowly crawled out of bed and pulled up the covers to check if his twin was hiding from him under the bed.

"What are you doing?" George jumped up at the stranger's voice.

"I-I'm looking for my brother," he answered cautiously. "Fred." The stranger lifted an eyebrow and smirked.

"I hardly think you would find your twin under your bed," he drawled.

"Wh-who are you?" George asked. The stranger smirked.

"Jareth," he answered. "I am here to offer you your dreams." George gathered his courage and stood up straighter.

"Are they good dreams or night terrors?" He asked. Jareth's ensuing laugh filled in the silence of the room. George instinctively jumped back at the sudden sound.

"I assure you what I offer you is good dreams," Jareth smiled.

"What will happen to my brother if I take my dreams?" George asked. Jareth paused.

"He will become one of us," the Fae answered simply. "Forever," he added imperiously. "You should take your dreams," Jareth advised. "It is better than the heartache and headaches that siblings cause."

"But Fred doesn't give me headaches or heartaches," George frowned.

"Now he does not," Jareth answered. "What about when you two are older?" He asked. "Do you really want to _share everything_ with him?" George's brows furrowed. "Take your dreams George," Jareth said lightly. George looked up at the Fae with a determined face.

"My dreams include my brother," he said. "Without him I would be missing one half on my soul. I want my brother." Jareth frowned inwardly but gave the young child a smirk.

"You have thirteen hours," he pointed to a large labyrinth behind George. The young boy gaped at the image, unconsciously taking small steps towards the outer walls of the labyrinth he was to solve, and leaving his bedroom behind. "Use them wisely," the fading voice whispered.

* * *

_I know I have been apologising for late updates lately, life has just been getting in the way :p_

_I decided to post this chapter without editing first and filtering out my mistakes…please forgive me and I hoped this short side story was enjoyed…I promise to fix my mistakes later.._


	9. Chapter 9

Violet

* * *

_I really, really want to say that I own these characters but I have no rights to anything :p_

* * *

_**Now back to the main story** (Sorry I took forever to update this story)**:**_

* * *

"Lucius!" Narcissa and Hermione yelled while pulling the wizard back with Draco's help.

"What is going on here?" Severus hissed at the small family and the enraged family patriarch. Lucius fixed his stormy grey eyes on his best friend and brother and Severus fought not to let the involuntary shudder from his burning look, show.

"That-that _Fae_," Lucius bit out, "imp-"

"Father," Draco harshly interrupted. "Uncle Sev," he politely tilted his head in his direction. "This is for Hermione to explain." Everyone turned to Hermione and she blushed. "When she feels ready," he hastily added. Hermione gave him a thankful glance. Severus rolled his eyes and held out his fist.

"Would anyone care to explain this?" He asked, opening his fist to show his palm and the still glowing tendrils of magic swirling above his hand. Lucius stopped his angry pacing and looked down at Severus's palm.

"You are part of our family," he said with a small quirk of his lips.

"Our magic bonded us just a few minutes earlier," Narcissa spoke up. "Meet your niece," she smiled at Hermione while giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Severus smirked and closed his palm around the magic.

"Yes, well, as much as I would like to stomp and yell like my big brute of a brother," Severus smirked at Lucius, and gave Hermione a knowing glance. "I shall endeavour to take my own revenge out on the Fae in my own subtle way." Everyone shuddered at the look he gave when he spoke of the Goblin King, and then he gave Hermione a softer, more gentle, gaze. "You need not be alone anymore. You have us now and we shall not let you go for anything," he whispered and laid a small kiss on her forehead.

"We have a busy day tomorrow," Severus said to everyone in the room, giving Lucius a pointed look. "I suggest we all get some rest," he said before sweeping out of the room with a 'goodnight' and a yawn.

O.o.O

"Order!" Kingsley Shacklebolt pounded his gavel, but was ignored. "ORDER!" He shouted, banging the wooden hammer harder on the flat wooden surface, effectively silencing the occupants of Courtroom Number 10. "Mister Pipper," he tried not to sneer at the over-pompous Head of the Ministry's Family Archives. "What leads you to believe this child was kidnapped?" He actually did sneer at the wizard this time. "Violet Craftsen's mother abandoned her by wishing her away and taking her dreams. The full Wizengamot has seen King Jareth III's memory of the event and have verified it with the obliviated mother of said child. Do you have proof of your accusations?" He asked condescendingly and sighed at the need to obliviate someone who had their memories taken away by a Fae, given back, and then taken away again by wizards. The wizard, Mister Pipper, huffed and sat heavily in his chair.

"_Hem hem_." Everyone tried not to groan at that interruption and openly glared and sneered at the disgraced toad. "I believe the 985 treaty should be invoked," Dolores Umbridge spoke up. The Order and Kingsley Shacklebolt tensed. Murmurs among the Wizengamot members filled in the tense silence.

"It is going to happen," Hermione whispered, holding tightly onto Jareth's hand.

"At least I don't have to fight Voldemort," Harry whispered back while watching Kingsley's personal secretary whisper a relaying message into his ear. Kingsley tensed before clearing his throat.

"There will be a ten minute recess before the verdict is given," he said, causing an uproar of disapproving voices among Wizengamot members. Kingsley gave his Senior Undersecretary, Amelia Bones, a pointed look before stepping down, followed by the Madame Bones.

"What is going on?" Ginny asked.

"Another ally," Ambry smiled at her brother. He smirked.

"To be expected," Lucius murmured to the group. "Mister Shacklebolt cannot resist being on the frontlines of a fight, whether verbal or physical."

"Everything is in order?" Hermione asked the large group.

"My goblins are seeing to the little things that may have been over-looked," Jareth reassured her and everyone else.

"My fairies are already thinking up interesting nightmares for the old toad," Ambry smirked. Everyone laughed and smirked at the sickly sweet smiling, nightmarish woman. She gave them a confused glance before choosing to ignore them. "Imagine having to live the rest of your life dreaming nothing but nightmares," she said softly, earning a shiver from the group.

"She deserves it," Harry muttered, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his hand where the words '_I Must Not Tell Lies_' were still etched into his skin. The courtroom quieted when Kingsley Shacklebolt exited the chamber he had carefully warded, but instead of heading towards his place among the Wizengamot members, he strode up next to the Goblin King, shook his hand, and took the vacant seat next him. Amelia Bones gave Kingsley a wry smile before taking his previous place among the Wizengamot.

"As newly instated Minister of Magic-" The courtroom broke out into murmurs. The newly instated Minister, Madame Bones, used the gavel to bring the room into silence. "The majority vote of the Goblin Kingdom versus the Ministry Family Archives is as follows: The majority of the Wizengamot invoke the 985 B.C. Treaty instated by King Jareth II of the Goblin Kingdom and the British Ministry of Magic. King Jareth III is to release the minor Violet Craftsen into Ministry custody immediately."

"Do you have a plan?" Kingsley quietly asked the group.

"Whose side are you really on?" Harry asked the older wizard. Hermione elbowed him, but Kingsley chuckled anyway.

"I am first and foremost a member of the Order," he answered solemnly. "I already know that your magic is binding you to your laws and you cannot easily hand over the child," he said to Jareth.

"Everyone ready?" Ambry asked their group, watching as a few Aurors started making their way across the courtroom.

"Ready," Narcissa answered for everyone as their surroundings suddenly started swirling and fading. She held tighter onto her husband and the small bundle in her arms to regain her balance.

"A little warning next time," Hermione said with a green face while clinging onto Jareth. "I need the loo," she said before spinning and releasing the contents of her stomach all over the stone floor while Jareth held back her hair.

"Here you go." Severus handed her a purple potion. "Calming draught for your stomach," he said. Hermione thanked him and gratefully swallowed the bittersweet contents of the phial.

"Spinner!" Jareth called. A goblin as tall as the Goblin King's abdomen answered his call and bowed.

"Yes your majesty," the goblin answered.

"Lockdown effective immediately!" he ordered. "Emergency Call Blackguard! No one or anything is allowed in or out of Gringotts or any other passage into the aboveground." The Goblin scrambled to fulfil the order. Seconds later bells rang out above the castle and voices, feet, and hooves from various animals and people were heard as everyone hurried towards the castle gates. "Grumbly!" Jareth called another goblin. "Spread this out among the people," Jareth said, dropping a crystal to the stone floor and producing a tall pile of parchments.

Hermione picked one up and read aloud:

_By order of King Jareth III _

_**Emergency Call Blackguard is in effect.** All citizens are to immediately take shelter and report any suspicious activity to a castle Senior Guard. All contact and any trading with the aboveground is to cease immediately or collaborators with said realm will face the Bog of Eternal Stench or will be subjected to an oubliette for ten years, depending on the severity of not complying with said Emergency._

Ambry frowned, "You have a subject to make an example of." Jareth growled and twisted his wrist, producing a crystal with a layout of his castle and Labyrinth.

"HOGGLE!" He yelled. He reached into the crystal with his other hand and began wrestling with something inside, slowly pulling out a wrestling dwarf. "I know my Emergency Call reached you!" Jareth growled and silently summoned a folded parchment from the dwarf's pocket. "Do you deny attempting to contact the aboveground?" He asked.

"No sir," the dwarf bit out.

"I have been putting up with your obstinacy for a long nine years," Jareth quietly growled, effectively gaining the attention of his subject. The dwarf stood still, looking up at him with wide frightened eyes. "Emergency Call Blackguard is the highest state of emergency my Kingdom has in effect and you willingly disobeyed," he hissed at the now trembling dwarf. "We are now in a state of war! Hoggle," he said authoritatively, "I, King Jareth III, sentence you to fifty years of living in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

"NO!" Hoggle shouted. "Anything but that!"

"You dare talk back to me after almost giving our enemy a clear opening into the heart of our Kingdom!" Jareth shouted. "Hopper! Chowler!" Two goblins scrambled to answer the call. "To the Bog with him!" He ordered. The two goblins grinned while dragging off a struggling dwarf. "Please excuse me," he said to the quiet group before abruptly leaving his throne room.

"Let me show you all to the guest wings," Ambry spoke up. "Your possessions have already been placed and packed away into your rooms," she informed everyone.

"Ambry," Hermione spoke up after mostly everyone was escorted to their assigned rooms. "Where are our rooms?" She asked the smiling Fae woman. Severus, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco waited patiently for the Queen to answer.

"Your rooms have been set up in the Family wing," she answered with a wide smile.

"Pardo-" Lucius began heatedly, but was silenced by his wife's elbow painfully making contact with his ribcage and allowed the Fairy Queen to guide them away from the Guest wings. Hermione followed the chatting group, lost in her own thoughts, so she did not notice when the group took a turn down a narrow corridor, nor when they climbed up the set of stairs leading up towards another floor at the beginning of that corridor. She kept walking straight down one of the castles many wide corridors, not paying attention to the twists and turns that popped up from seemingly nowhere, so when she finally did notice the silence and attempted to retrace her steps, she ended up even more lost.

The last turn she took lead her to the end of a short corridor with only one door at the end. The door called to her, entranced her senses so she could not think of anything other than reaching for the knob and twisting it open. The hand that latched onto her wrist was an unwelcome distraction, but the voice that reached her ears was always welcome.

"What are you doing?" The voice asked. Hermione unwillingly tore her eyes away from the door to meet the mismatched eyes of her distraction. She blinked away the fog that filled her brain before answering.

"I don't know," she answered with a frown. Her distraction frowned at her words. "It was calling me," she said quietly and looked toward the door again, but her face was stopped with a warm hand on her cheek, stopping her from, again, becoming distracted by the door.

"Who am I?" Her distraction asked.

Hermione frowned and was silent for a few tense moments before answering, "Jareth." The fog in her brain cleared a little.

"Who are you?" He asked. She blinked up at him owlishly.

"Hermione," she answered after a few more moments.

"Hermione what?" He demanded lightly. She shook her head before answering.

"Hermione Jean Granger," she answered, holding her head in her palms. "What happened?" Hermione asked, feeling the beginnings of a bad headache before noticing the third member of their small group when he pushed a headache potion into her palm.

"You were about to open the door that leads to Nothing and Everything," Jareth answered.

"Nothing and Everything?" Hermione asked.

"I have read about that," Severus said thoughtfully.

"I advise you to stay away from that door Hermione," Jareth said tensely. "If the door called to you that strongly then it is best you avoid this corridor altogether." He held onto Hermione's wrist a little tighter, fearing what the outcome would have been, or would be, if she actually did open the door.

"Is there a reason I am affected so strongly?" She asked when she realised the two men were not as strongly affected by the door. She was just standing near it and was sorely tempted to look at it again, her fingers itched to reach for the doorknob and twist...

"Is there something you regret greatly?" Jareth asked softly.

"There are a lot of things I regret," Hermione answered sombrely.

"There is something that you hold above all those other small regrets," Jareth said knowingly. "Until you face that this door will continue to have a strong hold over you," he said after a few silent moments, noticing how she struggled to keep her attention on him and away from the door.

"I think it is best that we remove her from this corridor," Severus said lightly, also noticing her silent struggle to not let the door distract her.

O.o

The blond wizard smirked when the blond Fae disgracefully stumbled and fell, face first, into the flagstones in his throne room, and continued on his merry way towards the entrance to the King's gardens. Jareth growled at Lucius and conjured a crystal, throwing it at the wizard's back, and smirked at the pure white mink that ran in confused circles and squeaked in fright and confusion. Severus let out a hearty laugh and lifted Lucius's Jelly Leg Jinx from the Goblin King and conjured a cage for the mink and levitated it, and then Lucius the mink, into a laughing Narcissa's arms.

"Wonderful!" Narcissa breathed out between laughs. Jareth smirked at the witch and looked down at the now angry animal.

"I could not just stand by and not defend myself," he drawled. The mink huffed and turned its back on a smugly smirking King.

"Oh what a cute little ferret!" Hermione smiled at Lucius, reaching to stroke the animal between the bars of the cage when she was stopped by the growling mink and more hearty laughs. Jareth levitated the fuming wizard from the cage and turned him back into an angry blond wizard.

"I was not a ferret!" He growled at Hermione. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the livid wizard and promptly buried her face into his chest to cover her smile. "I know you are smiling," he growled quietly while holding her in his arms, but the effect she had on him was calming. Hermione looked up at him with her wide smile.

"Next time don't unfairly jinx someone and you won't be turned into a mink," Hermione said quickly before making a hasty exit while laughing, leaving behind a growling wizard and more hearty laughs.

* * *

_I am very sorry for taking forever to post this chapter._

_I have one more chapter that I have prewritten, it just needs to be edited...then I will edit and post the story as I write new chapters.._

_I really wish I could change a few things already written but my friend Nerissa is keeping me from doing that, and alas, it is too late to change them :p _

_Again, I promise that I am going to finish this story no matter how long it takes to write..._


End file.
